The Ig Nobel Prize ceremony – a satirical award for scientific achievements – will be held in Europe for the first time. Previously, it was traditionally held in the United States. Organizers explained the change of venue due to the difficulties of traveling to the United States for guests and laureates.
The 36th ceremony will be held in Zurich. This was announced by the organizers of the award, which is organized by the digital magazine Annals of Improbable Research. The publication publishes research that, according to the authors, first makes people laugh, then think.
The ceremony is usually held in the United States in September, a few weeks before the announcement of the Nobel Prize laureates.
The host of the ceremony and editor of the magazine, Mark Abrahams, explained that over the past year, traveling to the United States has become problematic for participants in the event.
This year’s event is organized in collaboration with the institutions of the ETH Domain – a network owned by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology – and the University of Zurich.