The 2026 Ig Nobel Prizes, which recognize offbeat but scientifically valid research, were awarded for studies including a splash-free urinal design, using mosquito mouthparts to print tiny nozzles, decomposition rates of buried underwear, and the physics of blowing one's nose. For the first time in 35 years, the ceremony left Boston and was held in Zurich, Switzerland, with future events planned for Antwerp in 2027 and returning to Zurich in even-numbered years after.
At a Zurich ceremony on September 3, researchers received Ig Nobel awards for offbeat but rigorous studies, including a biomechanics team that produced a cross-species definition of kissing excluding food-sharing behavior, a physics group that engineered urinal designs to minimize splashback, and soil scientists who buried and later exhumed 1,000 pairs of underwear to study decomposition rates linked to land use.
Lego is turning a fan-created build into an official set after designer Sébastien Esnault, known online as Pidelium, won the Grand Prize in a Lego Ideas contest focused on 1990s nostalgia. The winning submission reimagines the beloved claymation duo Wallace and Gromit as a buildable Lego model.
The Shaw Prize Foundation has introduced a new Computer Science prize category, marking the first expansion beyond its original three award categories. Nominations are now open, inviting the community to put forward candidates whose work reflects notable innovation and rigor in the field.
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