Runner Up: Landloping ladybugs: Frame-induced positional shift (Mark Wexler, Patrick Cavanagh and Stuart Anstis)
Adding a moving reference point can often change our brain’s positional perception of an object, or multiple objects in the case of these ladybugs. In the first animation, both ladybugs are vertically aligned, but as they are individually revealed in a frame that moves from left to right, the top ladybug appears to have shifted to the right while the bottom ladybug is positioned more to the left. In the second animation, a single ladybug appears to be moving around an oval track, but when the moving frame is removed, it is revealed that it’s actually just four vertically aligned ladybugs pointed in different directions. Your brain adds motor skills where none actually exist.
To see the optical illusions of all of the top 10 finalists this year, visit the Competition for Best Illusion of the Year website, but grab a bottle of aspirin first, your brain may need it by the time you go through the whole list.