Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Ig Nobel Prizes Move From U.S. to Europe, With Zürich to Host 2026 Ceremony

Organizers cite guest safety concerns tied to the U.S. political climate.

Overview

  • The 36th Ig Nobel awards are scheduled for September in Zürich, marking the first ceremony outside the United States after 35 years in Boston.
  • Organizers plan a new cadence with the event held in Zürich every two years and in other European cities in the intervening years.
  • Founder Marc Abrahams said it became unsafe last year for some laureates and international journalists to travel to the United States.
  • The prizes are run by the Cambridge, Massachusetts–based Annals of Improbable Research and have been awarded annually since 1991.
  • The Ig Nobels honor unconventional studies that aim to make people laugh and then think, reflecting a blend of humor and serious inquiry.