Ig Nobels Awards Ceremony Moves to Europe Amid US Visa Concerns

Annual satirical awards show shifts from US to Zurich, Switzerland for 2026 due to difficulties obtaining travel visas.

Published on Mar. 9, 2026

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The annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, which honors unusual and humorous scientific achievements, is moving from the United States to Europe for the first time in its 36-year history. Organizers cited concerns over attendees, including international journalists, being able to obtain US travel visas as the reason for the shift. The 2026 ceremony will be held in Zurich, Switzerland, in collaboration with local universities, and the event will alternate between European cities in the future.

Why it matters

The Ig Nobels are a lighthearted celebration of quirky scientific research that aims to make people "laugh, and then think." The decision to move the ceremony out of the US reflects growing challenges for international visitors to enter the country, which could impact academic and scientific exchange.

The details

The Ig Nobels, organized by the Annals of Improbable Research magazine, are usually held in the US in September, shortly before the actual Nobel Prizes are announced. Last year's winners included researchers studying whether painting cows with zebra stripes prevents fly bites and which types of pizza lizards prefer. However, four of the 10 winners chose not to travel to Boston for the 2025 ceremony. Organizer Marc Abrahams said they "cannot in good conscience" ask international guests to visit the US this year due to visa concerns under the Trump administration's immigration policies.

  • The 36th annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony will be held in Zurich, Switzerland in 2026.
  • The Ig Nobels have been held annually in the US for the past 35 years, usually in September.

The players

Marc Abrahams

Master of ceremonies and editor of the Annals of Improbable Research magazine, which organizes the Ig Nobel Prizes.

Milo Puhan

Epidemiologist at the University of Zurich and a Swiss Ig Nobel Prize winner in 2017 for research on reducing snoring.

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What they’re saying

“During the past year, it has become unsafe for our guests to visit the country. We cannot in good conscience ask the new winners, or the international journalists who cover the event, to travel to the USA this year.”

— Marc Abrahams, Master of ceremonies and editor of Annals of Improbable Research

“The Ig Nobel Prize makes research visible, and does so with a wink.”

— Milo Puhan, Epidemiologist, University of Zurich

What’s next

The Ig Nobel Prize ceremony will be held in Zurich, Switzerland in 2026 and will alternate between European cities in subsequent years. There are no immediate plans to return the event to the United States.

The takeaway

The decision to move the Ig Nobels out of the US reflects growing challenges for international visitors to enter the country, which could impact academic and scientific exchange. However, the lighthearted awards show will continue to celebrate quirky research and bring attention to unexpected scientific discoveries.