Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony Moves to Europe Amid Safety Concerns

The annual parody of the Nobel Prizes is relocating to Zurich, Switzerland due to growing hostility toward international travelers entering the U.S.

Published on Mar. 10, 2026

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The 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony, a satirical award show honoring unusual scientific research, is moving its annual event from Massachusetts to Zurich, Switzerland this year. The organizers cited growing safety concerns for international guests traveling to the U.S. under the current administration's policies as the reason for the relocation.

Why it matters

The Ig Nobel Prizes have been held in the U.S. for the past 35 years, bringing together scientists from around the world to celebrate quirky and thought-provoking research. The decision to move the ceremony to Europe highlights the challenges facing international travelers and the impact of restrictive policies on academic and cultural exchange.

The details

In 2025, four out of the 10 Ig Nobel Prize winners chose not to travel to the U.S. amid President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration and freedom of speech. In one incident, a French scientist was denied entry into the U.S. after immigration officers searched his phone and found messages criticizing the current administration. As a result, the Ig Nobel organizers decided it would be best to avoid U.S. immigration altogether and move the ceremony to Zurich, Switzerland, where it will be held every other year. During the odd-numbered years, the event will rotate to different European cities.

  • The 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony will be held in Zurich, Switzerland in September 2026.
  • The ceremony will be held in Zurich every second year, with the next one scheduled for 2028.
  • During the odd-numbered years, the organizers will host the ceremony in a different city in Europe.

The players

Marc Abrahams

Founder and emcee of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony and editor of The Annals of Improbable Research magazine.

ETH Domain

A group of Swiss federal institutes of technology and research institutions that will be collaborating to host the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony in Zurich.

University of Zurich

A Swiss university that will be collaborating to host the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony in Zurich.

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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, Founder and emcee of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony (Gizmodo)

“Switzerland has nurtured many unexpected good things—Albert Einstein's physics, the world economy, and the cuckoo clock leap to mind—and is again helping the world appreciate improbable people and ideas.”

— Marc Abrahams, Founder and emcee of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony (Gizmodo)

What’s next

The organizers plan to hold an event in Boston a few weeks after the main Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony in Zurich to celebrate the winners.

The takeaway

The relocation of the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony from the U.S. to Europe highlights the growing challenges facing international travelers and the impact of restrictive policies on academic and cultural exchange. Despite the change in venue, the organizers remain committed to celebrating quirky and thought-provoking scientific research and maintaining a connection to the ceremony's Boston roots.