Runner Up: Landloping Ladybugs: Frame-Induced Position Change (Mark Wexler, Patrick Cavanagh and Stuart Anstis)
Adding a moving reference point can often change the brain’s positional perception of one or more objects in the case of these ladybugs. In the initial animation, both ladybugs are aligned vertically, but as they are revealed individually in a frame that moves from left to right, the upper ladybug appears shifted to the right, while the lower ladybug is positioned further to the left. In the second animation, a single female bug appears to move around an oval track, but when the moving frame is removed, it is revealed that there are actually only four vertically aligned ladybugs, pointing in different directions. Your brain adds locomotion where it doesn’t actually exist.
To see the optical illusions of the top 10 finalists this year, go to The contest for the best illusion of the year website, but first take a bottle of aspirin, your brain may need it until you’ve gone through the entire list.