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.
