Ig Nobel Prize flees US for Switzerland after 35 years for safety

Ig Nobel Prize flees US for Switzerland after 35 years over safety concerns

This is not satire, but we wish it was

Lindsay Clark

The Register: 11 Mar 2026 //

The Ig Nobel Prize, which satirizes its more noble namesake, is moving its award ceremony to Europe following concerns about the safety of those attending the US event.

The event's founder said that the awards could not ask scientists and journalists to attend unless the event was moved elsewhere.

The Ig Nobel Prize has been held in the US for 35 years. Organized by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine, it aims to honor less obvious scientific achievements, while making people laugh, and then making them think.

Ceremonies have so far taken place at Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston University. The next is scheduled to be held in Zurich, Switzerland.