Ring 216 held its annual Close-Up Competition on October 9, 2024. The spectators sat at three separate tables while eight magicians took turns performing them. The competitors were, in the Master’s division Calvin Tong (coins), Dan Chan (mental matching), Jonathan Chen and Mitch Kothe (each with cards). In the Standard division, the performers were Erika Tsai (gambling demonstration), Yitian Liang (multiphase card routine), Alex Wu (cards, coffee cup and balls), Jeff Friend (cards), Rishabh Agrawal (visual card changes) and David Morrill (an original menu choice prediction).
The scoring by the audience was as always very close. In the Standard division, the winner on the Magician’s ballot was Yitian, with Rishabh in second place. On the People's Choice ballot, Rishabh was first and Yitian second. In the Master’s division, Calvin won the Magician’s ballot with Jonathan in second place, while the People’s Choice award was given to Mitch, with Jonathan second.