Ig Nobel Ceremony Moves to Zurich Over Safety Concerns

The annual Ig Nobel prize ceremony, long known for celebrating research that “first makes people laugh and then makes them think,” is leaving Boston after 35 years. Organizers announced the event will take place in Zurich, Switzerland, this year—and that future ceremonies will be held in European cities for the foreseeable future.

Marc Abrahams, master of ceremonies and editor of The Annals of Improbable Research, told reporters that rising safety concerns for international visitors played a central role in the decision. According to Abrahams, winners and the journalists who cover the event have become increasingly reluctant to travel to the United States over the past year.

The Ig Nobels began in 1991 as a playful counterpoint to the Nobel Prizes, celebrating quirky but thought‑provoking work across disciplines. The award show is famous for its campy presentation: miniature operas, playful scientific demonstrations, and the rapid 24/7 lectures in which researchers explain their findings twice—once in 24 seconds and again in seven words.

Relocating the ceremony aims to preserve the event’s international character. Organizers said they could not, in good conscience, ask newly named winners or foreign press to make potentially risky trips to the US. Holding the event in Europe should make attendance easier for a broader set of participants and help maintain the lively, global atmosphere the Ig Nobels rely on.

For longtime followers, the move marks the end of an era in Boston—but not the end of the tradition itself. The ceremony’s mix of humor and genuine scientific curiosity appears set to continue in new venues, with organizers promising that the format and spirit of the awards will remain intact despite the change in location.