The FISM: history, categories and winners of the magic world championships

Every three years, several thousand magicians gather in the same city for a week of galas, conferences, and competitions. The title contested there has no equivalent in the world of magic: that of world champion.

FISM (International Federation of Magic Societies) is the organization that brings together the world's magic federations and clubs and organizes the magic world championships every three years. Founded in 1948, with roots in Paris as early as 1937, it represents more than 80,000 magicians through more than 110 societies. Candidates compete by category (stage, close-up, manipulation, mentalism...), with two Grand Prix: stage and close-up. The last edition was held in Turin in July 2025; the next will take place in Busan, South Korea, from July 9 to 14, 2028.

This article traces the history of FISM, explains how a championship works, introduces the categories, recent winners, and the role of the French, then details how a magician can participate.

Origins of FISM: from Paris in 1937 to its official birth in 1948

The history of FISM begins in Paris. In 1937, during a meeting of the ASAP, the Syndical Association of Prestidigitation Artists, which published Le Journal de la Prestidigitation, its vice-president, Dr. Jules Dhotel, proposed organizing an international congress in Paris in October 1939, then moving it each year to a different country. The invasion of Poland in September 1939 led to the cancellation of the project.

After the war, the idea was revived: in 1946, an international congress of magicians brought together more than 300 registrants in Amsterdam, with a competition of 20 participants (without categories) won by a French amateur, Jean Valton, for a card manipulation routine. In 1947, the International Magic Congress gathered 500 participants from 18 countries and 70 competitors. It was there that the creation of a formal organization was discussed, with the name FISM being proposed. The federation was founded in 1948. The congresses took place every year until 1952, then every three years.

How a magic world championship works

FISM operates as a federation of federations: its members are national or international magic societies, grouped into continental divisions (Europe, Asia, North America, Latin America, Africa, Oceania). It is these members who apply to host the next edition, and who present their competitors.

• An edition every three years, in a city chosen by FISM. According to the organization, the 2028 edition will bring together around 3,000 magicians in South Korea.
• Regional and national selections beforehand: each continental division and each member society has quotas of candidates recommended by its selection committees.
• A jury and prizes by category: first, second, and third prizes, then two Grand Prix (stage and close-up). The jury reports from the French magic press recall that at FISM, as in national championships, the gaps are rarely large and that the debates mostly concern candidates with identical scores.
• A program that goes beyond the competition: galas, conferences, exhibitions, equipment show.

FISM also presents itself as the collective voice of the magic world: it coordinates its members and encourages exchanges, and it intervenes on intellectual property, fighting against the copying or inappropriate distribution of inventions and routines.

FISM categories: from stage to mentalism

The categories vary slightly from one edition to another. In recent winners' lists, we find:

• The two Grand Prix: stage and close-up.
• Manipulation (cards, balls, scarves... on stage) and general magic.
• Micromagic, cartomancy and parlour magic.
• Grand illusions, mentalism and comedy.
• Invention prize, for close-up and for stage, as well as the most original routine.
• Special prizes: creativity and artistic vision, history and research, theory and philosophy of magic.

In Turin, in 2025, FISM allowed demonstration categories for the first time, which could become official if they are continued for two consecutive championships. Some categories are not always awarded: in 2025, no first prize was awarded in cartomancy, grand illusions, or comedy.

FISM Grand Prix since 2003

• 2003, The Hague: Norbert Ferré (France) in stage, Jason Latimer (United States) in close-up.
• 2006, Stockholm: Pilou (France) in stage, Rick Merrill (United States) in close-up.
• 2009, Beijing: Soma (Hungary) in stage, Shawn Farquhar (Canada) in close-up.
• 2012, Blackpool: Yu Ho Jin (South Korea) in stage, Yann Frisch (France) in close-up.
• 2015, Rimini: Héctor Mancha (Spain) in stage, Pierric (Switzerland) in close-up.
• 2018, Busan: Miguel Muñoz (Spain) in stage, Eric Chien (Taiwan) in close-up.
• 2022, Quebec: Laurent Piron (Belgium) in stage, Simon Coronel (United States) in close-up.
• 2025, Turin: Francesco Della Bona (Italy) in stage, Ibuki (Japan) in close-up.

The record remains that of Fred Kaps, the only magician to have won the Grand Prix three times (1950, 1955, and 1961).

The French at FISM: from Pierre Brahma to Yann Frisch

France has a special place in the history of the federation, which was born in Paris. On the winners' side, we remember the Grand Prix of Pierre Brahma (1964, ex aequo, then 1976), Norbert Ferré (2003) and Pilou (2006) in stage, then that of Yann Frisch in close-up in 2012. More recently, Markobi won the cartomancy category in 2022, Florian Sainvet a manipulation prize in 2018 (ex aequo) and Léa Kyle general magic in 2025.

Two portraits published on this blog allow us to enter the minds of two French magicians linked to FISM: that of Yann Frisch and Baltass, world champion in 2012, and that of Boris Wild, awarded at FISM and president of the close-up jury in Beijing.

What FISM changes for a magician's career

A FISM title is not just a trophy: it opens stages, tours, and television shows. The competition also serves as a creative deadline. A Belgian magician, winner of the 2025 invention prize and interviewed on the Détours de Magie channel, explains for example that the prospect of a competition helps him materialize his ideas, while he willingly puts them off until tomorrow without a deadline.

FISM is finally a place of learning. The program of a congress includes conferences, exhibitions, and meetings between generations. To situate FISM compared to other events, our list of magic festivals lists the events where magicians cross paths today, and the article on the history of FFAP recalls the role of the French federation in the birth of FISM.

How to participate in FISM when you are a magician

You do not register alone for a FISM competition. The procedure goes through the national magic society, a member of FISM: the competitor must have reserved the congress and their file must be signed by the president of this society. It is therefore the national selections, often the championships organized by the federations, that designate the candidates, within the limits of regional quotas. For a French magician, the first step is to inquire with the national federation about the calendar and the conditions of selection.

Frequently asked questions about FISM

How often does FISM take place?

Every three years. After annual editions at the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s, the congresses became spaced out.

Where will the next FISM take place?

In Busan, South Korea, from July 9 to 14, 2028. Busan had already hosted the 2018 edition.

Who won the FISM 2025 Grand Prix?

Francesco Della Bona (Italy) in stage and Ibuki (Japan) in close-up, in Turin.

Has a Frenchman ever been a magic world champion?

Yes, several times: Pierre Brahma, Norbert Ferré and Pilou in stage, Yann Frisch in close-up.

Who has the most FISM Grand Prix?

Fred Kaps, with three Grand Prix (1950, 1955, and 1961).

FISM, an appointment to measure where magic is

Beyond the titles, FISM offers a snapshot of world magic every three years: the rising styles, the categories that are exhausted, the countries that impose themselves. For a professional magician, it is both a horizon, a deadline, and a source of inspiration, whether one competes or not.