Ig Nobel prizes moving to Europe because US is ‘unsafe’ to visit
The Straits Times
The 2026 Ig Nobels, which celebrate the sillier side of science will be held in Zurich on Sept 3. Read more at straitstimes.com.
PARIS – The tongue-in-cheek Ig Nobel awards will be held in Europe for the first time in 2026 because the United States has become “unsafe” for international prize-winners to visit, the organisers have announced.
The awards, which celebrate the sillier side of science, have held raucous ceremonies that see the winners showered with paper aeroplanes at universities in Massachusetts since 1991.
Like the Nobels they satirise, Ig Nobel laureates hail from all over the world. However, international academics have reported problems travelling to the US since President Donald Trump’s second term began in early 2025.
“During the past year, it has become unsafe for our guests to visit the country,” Ig Nobel founder Marc Abrahams said in a statement on March 9.
“We cannot, in good conscience, ask the new winners or the international journalists who cover the event to travel to the USA this year,” he said.
The 36th edition of the Ig Nobels will be held in the Swiss city of Zurich on Sept 3, the organisation said.
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