This Is Totally New For FISM

Magic’s most prestigious award ceremony is seeing a huge shake-up this year, with the introduction of the first-ever World Champion of Online Magic to be crowned at the 2025 FISM championships in Italy.

The recognition of online magic, announced earlier this month on magician Chris Ramsay’s YouTube channel, is an attempt to combat consistently falling attendance rates at recent FISM events.

Alongside other initiatives, the category will see entries of 90-second videos judged to crown a winner worthy of the title of best online magic performance.

But why is one of magic’s most esteemed and highly regarded events seeing such low levels of attendance?

We spoke to Chris Ramsay, a magician and puzzle-solver on YouTube known for pushing the boundaries of online magic. He's also on the steering board for this year’s FISM.

He believes that the rise in social media platforms has led to fewer people taking part in skill-based hobbies:

"I'm not going to blame TikTok, but when these platforms popped up, they stole from every niche – not just magic, not just cardistry, but juggling, Kendama, skateboarding. Every skill-based hobby suffered because before, the amount of effort required to get noticed was a lot harder. You'd have to work for years and years before someone noticed you. Now you don't have to practice anymore – you can just upload something from your phone."

Ramsay notes that magic as an art form was more readily positioned to feel the brunt of this change, as the demographic attending magic events is constantly getting older.

However, online mediums give new generations more freedom to explore newer types of magic within a community of peers, which could explain why in-person events have suffered.

FISM, in particular, is an organisation built on a strong legacy of magic tradition since its inception in 1948. Previous winners of their awards, such as Yann Frisch, Shawn Farquhar, and Eric Chien, are catapulted to “celebrity” status in the magic world due to the prestige FISM holds. 

We wanted to know how Ramsay implemented such a drastic change to an event so steeped in a classical interpretation of magic.

"It's never easy going up against the entity that is FISM with anything, because there are very ‘classically minded’ folks behind this, and you're dealing with a lot of people from different places. Everybody's got their opinion – naturally, you're going to have some pushback…but the [attendance] numbers year after year speak for themselves, and they had to try something. If this was up to me, this would have been implemented 10 years ago."

The process involved much brainstorming to understand what the online shift would look like, and Ramsay credits FISM organiser Walter Rolfo for being receptive to the idea.

But the question naturally follows: Does an online FISM category translate to higher levels of attendance, and more importantly, a longer-term desire to upkeep and cultivate the event for future generations?

Ramsay believes this can only happen if changes are made to the fundamental structure of the event:

"We must accommodate younger attendees, not just by being welcoming, but asking what they want. They want to be online. There are going to be areas to film videos, and their presence is really going to be catered towards. Representing the younger generation makes it more attractive to them, and they don't feel so out of place when they show up."

Several other online awards will be trialed this year, looking to commemorate broader aspects of online magic, such as newsletters and magazines. There is also a separate Instagram page for the online category and reduced entry costs for children.

But as much as Ramsay appreciates these changes, he believes more work must be done: 

"We’ve seen this in the past – if we don't start changing, we're going to lose a lot of what makes magic, magic. We want to adapt, and I think that’s been part of the problem over the past years… When people say it's better to keep [magic] a secret, they don’t realise we are also seeing magic shops close. And that is a direct result of not being competitive online or having an online offering alongside your brick-and-mortar shop."

Understanding why the internet hasn’t always been seen as positive for magic is key to changing the mindset behind events such as FISM.

There is no denying that online spheres can be detrimental to magic when misused, with exposure and stolen performances being the main risks. 

However, the internet has also fostered a community of magicians who view online spheres as a tool to express new forms of magic and not just achieve their fifteen minutes of fame.

The new FISM category will give these magicians a chance to perform in a way they are more familiar with and award those who do it well. 

The decision to crown a winner will lay in the hands of a unique panel of judges, separate from the judges of the other FISM categories. Ramsay explains that this will allow for a more nuanced selection process: 

"[The judges] have such a breadth of knowledge. The judging is done by ‘online celebrities’, as well as people like Dynamo, who are mainstream celebrities. This isn’t always the case. Here, the judges are kind of like peers – they also have an online presence, and they know what to look for. I'm interested to see what they consider prize-worthy. The deliberation is going to be exciting."

Other judges include online stars Tom Elderfield, Jeki Yoo, and Patrick Kun – all of whom know how to perform and create magic for digital spaces.

They will be able to recognise where submissions push boundaries and which contribute positively to the world of online magic. 

This is why Ramsay emphasises that, while the performance is the most crucial element of submissions, they want their winner to speak for online magic as a whole:

"One of the things we're looking for as judges is somebody who is a good ambassador for magic. Not just somebody who's great at magic, but who represents magic in a positive and welcoming light, and that is respectful towards magic and its secrets. The last thing you want to do is give a FISM prize to someone who notoriously teaches other people's effects. We can't just reward thievery."

The winner will represent more than just their own creative endeavours; they will be someone who looks further, understanding how online mediums allow magic to flourish. 

And the people are eager. Videos have flooded in since the opening date at the beginning of February. The deadline for submissions for the new online magic category is April 1st.

Submissions can take any form, but no special effects may be used. Already, some entrants have filmed effects from multiple angles, not only making their videos more creative but also eliminating potential methods.

So far, it sounds promising. However, whether these measures will be enough to spark new life into FISM has yet to be seen. Only time will tell.

In the meantime, Ramsay has encouraging words for those unsure about entering: 

"We're not looking for the most popular influencer or well-established magician – we're really opening this up to creative ideas. Worst comes to worst, you'll be able to share something cool on social media, but who knows – you might just end up becoming a world champion."

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