The 2026 Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony is almost here, and the best way to enjoy it is with others. If you can’t make it to Zurich (we moved the ceremony to Europe!), the second best way is hosting a Watch Party. The ceremony will be live-streamed on Thursday, 3 September 2026, 7:00 – 8:30 pm Central European Time (CET). [NOTE: 6:30 is when the YouTube signal goes live, giving people a chance to make sure that they have everything up and running. The ceremony itself begins at 7:00.]
Ten new Ig Nobel Prize winners will be introduced. Each has done something that makes people LAUGH, then THINK.
How to Host a Watch Party
Host a Watch Party and join people around the world as they gather to celebrate research that first makes you laugh, and then makes you think. Whether in a university lecture hall, a museum, student dorm, a local pub, a library, or your favorite community space, all you need is a screen, an internet connection, and an audience. Here is our free DIY Watch Party Playbook [it’s a downloadable PDF]. (Thanks to Elodie Chabrol for compiling this document.)
As Fancy or as Simple as You Like
Want to make your Watch Party extra special? Invite local scientists, journalists, or even Ig Nobel Prize winners to kick things off or answer questions afterwards. Or invent your own kind of watch party (one example: The Unruly Ig Nobel Watch Party). Or keep it wonderfully simple: navigate to our YouTube channel, enjoy the ceremony live, laugh and let the thinking begin.
Most Special: The Official Watch Parties
A limited number of licences for an ‘official Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony watch party’ (oIgNPCwp®) are available, giving your public event exclusive recognition, online technical support, help to contact local Ig-winners, a personalised visual and even a live wave from the ceremony itself. Contact <watchparty@improbable.com> and apply for this exclusive license.