The 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded at the 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony, on Thursday evening, September 3, 2026. The ceremony itself begina at 7:00 pm (Central European time). The pre-show dance performance began at 6:45 pm. The webcast began a few minutes earlier than that. The previous 35 ceremonies all took place in the USA, in Cambridge/Boston. In a break from tradition, this year’s ceremony took place in Zürich, Switzerland.
The webcast was (and in recorded form, is) available here and on our Youtube channel:
The 2026 ceremony was also webcast in a separate stream in Japanese (thanks to NIKONIKO/Dwango).
The basic info: The Ceremony (and webcast) on September 3, 2026
WHEN/WHERE: This year’s ceremony happened on Thursday, September 3, 2026, 7:00 pm (CET), at Kongresshaus Zürich, Claridenstrasse 5, Zürich, Switzerland.
WHAT: Ten new Ig Nobel Prize winners were introduced — each has done something that makes people LAUGH, then THINK. Several bemused Nobel laureates, Esther Duflo, Abhijit Banerjee, Michel Mayor, and Tim Hunt, physically handed them the prizes. The 1500 people in the audience showered everyone with paper airplanes. Some of the world’s great thinkers, Els Titeca, Tim Hunt, Marcel van der Hiejden, Alessio Figalli, and Tess Heeremans, each gave a 24/7 Lecture, explaining a topic first in 24 seconds, then in seven words. A new opera song, performed by soprano Serafina Giannoni and pianist Edward Rushton, celebrated this year’s ceremony theme: “FUNGI”. As the audience wandered into the theatre, they savored a pre-show dance performance, “The Laboratory of Small Disasters”, by Vanessa Morandell and Company Lava. A four-piece orchestra — accordion, didgeridoo, alphorn, and yodeler — injected fanfares. Somewhere, far away, joyless pedants shook their heads in dismay.
TICKETS TICKETS TICKETS TICKETS TICKETS to attend the ceremony in person went on sale May 12. The tickets sold out within a few days.
- REGULAR TICKETS: 89 CHF
- STUDENT TICKETS (Up to PhD-student level. Please show student ID at the door.): 59 CHF
- BILLIONAIRE TICKETS (Expressly for people who want to financially support the Ig Nobel Prizes! Each billionaire-ticket holder will receive a Zimbabwean 1-billion-dollar bill.): 500 CHF
- MILLIONAIRE TICKETS (Expressly for people who want to financially support the Ig Nobel Prizes! Each millionaire-ticket holder will receive a Zimbabwean 1-million-dollar bill.): 250 CHF
- GROUP TICKETS: If your group wants to be recognized during the ceremony as an OFFICIAL DELEGATION, first purchase your tickets, then email us at zurich@improbable.com Minimum OFFICIAL DELEGATION size is ten (10). Maximum OFFICIAL DELEGATION size is one thousand (1000).
Webcast, and Watch Parties
WEBCAST, and WATCH PARTIES: The 2026 ceremony was webcast, in English and also, in a separate stream in Japanese (thanks to NIKONIKO/Dwango). (This was the Ig’s 32nd straight year of webcasting — the 1995 Ig Nobel ceremony was one of the very first events ever to be webcast). Watch parties happened in many countries, some small and informal, some large:
- Watch by yourself, or gather friends informally. Informal watch parties are of many kinds (examples: the Unruly Ig Nobel Watch Party in India, the many watch parties in Flanders, the watch party at the Museum of Bad Art [MOBA] in Boston,, etc.). If you want to be somewhat grand about it, download a guide for organizing a Watch Party.
- Even grander, there will be OFFICIAL WATCH PARTIES in Flanders (in Antwerp, hosted by University of Antwerp at Agora Caffee), Flanders (in Ghent, hosted by Nerdland / Ghent University at Bar Publika), The Netherlands (in Utrecht, hosted by Utrecht University at Koningsberger Building), Germany (in Hamburg, hosted by and restricted to the 4000 employees of DESY Research Center), France (in Paris, hosted by Université Paris Science & Lettres at PSL-Dauphine), USA (in Cambridge, Massachusetts, hosted by Swissnex), and Sweden (in Lund, hosted by ESS & Science Village at The Loop), and also Switzerland (in Zurich – for anyone who could not get a ticket to be at the ceremony itself in Kongresshaus – hosted by University of Zurich in Hörsaal KOH-B-10 at Rämistrasse 71).
- If your organization would like to host an Official Ig Nobel Watch Party, and thus be mentioned admiringly during the ceremony and also on this web page, email us at <watchparty@improbable.com>. This involves a few formalities.
Related Events
IG NOBEL FACE-to-FACE in ZURICH: A related event, called “Ig Nobel Face-to-Face”, happened the next afternoon, Friday, September 4, 2026, 2:00 pm, at Hörsaal Universität Zürich, University of Zürich, Rämistrasse 71, Zürich. The new Ig Nobel Prize winners, joined by Nobel laureate Tim Hunt, asked each other questions about their work. The Face-to-Face event was free. (The Ig Nobel Face-to-Face event was be webcast. We will later produce an edited video of the event.)
[THREE WEEKS LATER] IG NOBEL FACE-to-FACE IN TOKYO, JAPAN — Sunday, September 20, 2026. The Miraikan science museum will again host a gala Ig Nobel Face-to-Face event. Details TBA.
[THREE WEEKS LATER] BOST-Ig, A CELEBRATION IN CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, USA,— Thursday, September 24, 2026, at the Swiss Consulate, Swissnex, in Cambridge,, 6:00-7:00 pm, then light refreshments (doors open 5:30). This is a small (small because space is very limited) celebration event. A few of the new Ig Nobel Prize winners will do a short informal talks, as will Ig Nobel founder Marc Abrahams. There will be a performance of three Tom Lehrer songs (Tom, who died last year, helped with several of the early Ig Nobel ceremonies) by Amanda Palmer and Dr. Thomas Michel (who each have performed in and helped organize many Ig Nobel Prize ceremonies), and a short display/talk by Louise Reilly Sacco (who also has performed in and helped organize many Ig Nobel Prize ceremonies) of science-related paintings from MOBA, the Museum of Bad Art. And there will be jolly conversation with the audience.
Who’s Who in the Ceremony (Warning: May Contain Eros)
The 36th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony
Held at Kongresshaus Zürich, in Zürich, Switzerland
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Produced by Improbable Research, Inc., in cooperation with the institutions of the ETH Domain and the University of Zurich
Special thanks to Michael Hengartner
Special thanks to Michael Schaepman
Special thanks to The ETH Domain
Special thanks to The ETH Board
Special thanks to The University of Zurich
Special thanks to École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
Special thanks to Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)
Special thanks to Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa)
Special thanks to Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag)
Special thanks to Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL)
Special thanks to The Swiss National Science Foundation
Special thanks to Tages Anzeiger
Special thanks to the Regenerative Foundation
Special thanks to the anonymous, kind individuals and groups who helped support the Ig financially
Special thanks to Robin Abrahams, Richard Baguley, Amy Brand, Emilie Bremond, Francesco Camagni, Wouter De Pesseroey, Mariette Di Christina, Grégoire Fabre, Maria Ferrante, Kiyoshi Furusawa, Jean Berko Gleason, Seth Gliksman, Lisa de Haardt, Evi Heyndrickx, Olivia Hofstetter, Fariba Houman, David Hu, A.U. Janus, Dariusz Jemielniak, Susan Kany, Alice Shirrell Kaswell, Lisa Kurth, Kévin Lamothe, Michele Liguori, Robert Matthews, Chris McManus, Elise Meerburg, Dennis Mendez Contreras, Thomas Michel, Toshi Nakagaki, Thomas Necker, Mercedes Okamura, Bruce Petschek, Mason Porter, Upasana Sarraju, Louise Reilly Sacco, Don Schechter, Lieven Scheire, Reto Schneider, Nicole Sharp, Jon Shedler, Geri Sullivan, Nan Swift, Els Titeca, Elisabeth Vanhoutte, Marjolein Vanoppen, Bob Vermeir, Greg Weiss, Maarten Weyn
PEOPLE BEHIND/BENEATH THE SCENES…….
Producers: Marc Abrahams, Mirko Bischofberger
Zürich Coordinator of Everything: Mirko Bischofberger
Pan-European Coordinators: Anna Beukenhorst, Kees Moeliker, Fabian Kok, Keira Lee Rice
Production Manager: Tina Bowen
Stage Manager: David Kessler
Video Producer/Director: Bruce Petschek
Webmasters: Keira Lee Rice, Fabian Kok
Ticketing/Seating/Standing/Twirling Maestros: Fabian Kok, Mirko Bischofberger
Bureaucracy Tamer: Susan Kany
Prize and Props Design: Eric Workman
Graphics/Logos Designer: Keira Lee Rice
Social Media Teaser Graphic Artist: Becky Moon
Photographers: Alexey Eliseev, Lars Haefner, Petra Wolfensberger
Slide Show Major Preparateur: Jack Dietz
Slide Show Preparateurs: Gerri Sullivan, Robin Abrahams, Tom Rue, Kees Moeliker, Zach Ratliff
Slide Show Mechanoperformers: Robin Abrahams, Tom Rue
Webcast Watch Party Info Coordinator: Elodie Chabrol
Webcast Techno-Constructors: Fabian (I.C.) Kok, Keira Lee Rice
Webcast Emergency Rescue Squad Supervisor: Richard Baguley
Paper-Airplane Deluge Theme Canned Music Composer/Performer: Nick Carstiou
Ceremonial PRESStidigitator: James Gillies
Journalist Wrangler: Neil Gussman
High Diplomats: Susan Kany, Dany Adams
Distinguished Diplomats / Green Room Coordinators / Universal Problem Solvers: Anna Beukenhorst, Maria Eliseeva, Tess Heeremans, Fabian Kok, Andreas Kosmider, Kees Moeliker, Keira Lee Rice
Hunter/Gatherer of Volunteers: Mirko Bischofberger
Volunteer Volunteer Coordinators: Susan Kany, Dany Adams, Elodie Chabrol
(some of the many) Valiant Volunteers: Ana Bosshard, Anna Carlevaro, Anna Lewkowicz, Clément Thorens, Cornelis Jalink, Daria Belous, David Zollikofer, Diana Aoucheva, Dominika Wojtanek, Erwin Herrsche, Eva Bradbrook, Evelin Pandiamakkal, Evgenia Tsianou, Fanny Georgi, Florian Sander, Francine Diethelm, Gabriela Araujo, Geraldine Liot, Giorgia Greter, Jehan Alsawaf, Jeremias Baur, Jiaxin Duan, Julien Alessandro König, Katharina Geiling, Lara Zanutto, Luana Guerra, Maria Feofilova, Maria Paula Rey Barrera, Mariana Pardo Contreras, Mariko Makhmutova, Mario San-Bento Furtado, Mats Dennler, Matteo Paulon, Mattia Rigotti, Michal Sudwoj, Michela Manni, Nicole Bizzotto, Philippe Sloksnath, Serena Fazio, Sevrin Mathys, Sina Horner, Sophie Hengartner, Tim Joller, Tobias Wekhof, Valentin Bosshard, Valentyn Bezshapkin
Ig Nobel History Posters: Kees Moeliker, Keira Lee Rice
Tracker of List Souls: Erica Tarlin
Millionaires/Billionaires Coordinator: Lisa de Haardt
Official Delegations Coordinators: Ferdinand I.C. Kok, Elodie Chabrol
Official Watch Party Coordinator: Kees Moeliker,
Emcee’s External Brain: Elodie Chabrol
Liaison, Museum of Bad Art (MOBA): Louise Reilly Sacco
The Ig Nobel Board of Governors: The Ig Nobel Board of Governors
PEOPLE ON-STAGE…….
Emcee: Marc Abrahams
Major Minordomos: Roksi Freeman, Danny Ben-David
Minordomos: Arshia Ruina, Ayush Agarwal, Edmund Golaski, Eva Goldie, Julia Lunetta, Kiyoshi Furusawa, Leyla Rivero Davis, Olivia Hanley, Rosemary Zittel-Stull
Live-Drawing Chalkboard Artist: Keira Lee Rice
Fanfare Orchestra Leader: Dr. Thomas Michel
Fanfare Orchestra Musicians:
Dr. Thomas Michel (Accordion)
Alex Suarez (Didgeridoo)
Adrian Kurt (Alphorn)
Martin Tönz (Yodeler)
Opera Singer: Serafina Giannoni
Opera Pianist: Edward Rushton
Pre-Show and Songs Choreographer: Vanessa Morandell
Pre-Show Dance Performers: Vanessa Morandell, Laura Saiz, Léa Schneider, Luis Felipe Barrera, Thomas Michel (accordion)
Safety Speech Announcer: Kees Moeliker
Safety Speech Demonstrator: Stephan Bolliger
Airplane Announcer: Elodie Chabrol
Welcome, Welcome Lecturer: Lidia Favre-Quattropani
Goodbye, Goodbye Lecturer: Lidia Favre-Quattropani
Swiss Minister of Defense, Offense, and Neutrality: Manfred Liechti
Simultaneous Translators: Esther Duflo French], Manfred Liechti [German], Alessio Figalli [Italian], Giuanna Caviezel [Romansch], Abhijit Banerjee [Business Jargon]
24/7 Lectures Time Enforcer: Andreas kosmider
Human Curtainrods: Maria Eliseeva, Lieven Scheire
Mic Monkey: Andreas Kosmider
Wikipedia Updater: Ulrich Lantermann
Designated Paper Plane Target: Danny Ben-David
Sweepers: x, x, x
Stage Hands: Cornelis J. Jalink, Clément Thorens
Bananas: Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, Michael Schaepman, Wouter De Pesseroey
THE FUTURE…
Please join us again next year, on Sunday, September 5, 2027, in Antwerp, Flanders for the 37th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize ceremony.