I review the major contenders for the neural correlates of visual awareness. Different views of the neural correlates turn out to support different theories, such as the global workspace theory, local visual processing theories, and the higher-order representation theory. Therefore, studying the neural correlates of consciousness may prove useful to theoretical development, although arbitrating between different interpretations of the neural results may involve conceptual issues as well. WIREs Cogn Sci 2011 2 1-7 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.93 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.