The IG Nobel Prizes are usually awarded every year at an event at Harvard University that the Annals of Improbable Research organizes. These prizes are meant to celebrate the unusual and, at the same time, honor the imaginative as well as spur individuals’ interest in technology, medicine, and science.
Mainly, the theme of the IG Nobel Prize is honoring achievements, which ‘first makes individuals laugh, then get them thinking.’ Since 1991, more than 300 prizes have been awarded to about 800 participants.
The ceremony plays to the perception of the wackiness of scientists and science while creating amusement in doing that.
But in the era where science is continuously under pressure in terms of resources and through questioning of the underlying value and purpose, IG Nobel Prize represents an effective way through which science communities may find as entertaining and creative ways of fostering education and interest in science.
How It Works
For every mad scientist, there comes a time when they realize that they have spent a lot of money and years working on their project.
At the same time, they can find themselves eying for a new gene-spliced insect feeler in a bathroom mirror. Or probably this moment happens in the middle of the arctic pursuit of their corpse-stitched and murderous creations.
During this moment, reason taps scientists on their shoulders and whispers, ‘Dude’ you just spent more than six years researching this and that. If that is the case, your work can be acknowledged and even get an IG Nobel Prize.
The Outreach
The IG Nobel Prize is usually recorded and broadcasted on the National Public Radio in the United States. Plus, it is shown live on the internet.
The recording is also broadcasted every year on a Friday after the US Thanksgiving. Two books have been published as well, with write-ups on a few winners.
In addition to that, an IG Nobel Tour has been part of the National Science in the UK. The Australians have also taken part in the tour severally.
The Fun Proceeds – the IG Nobel Prize 2021
‘At last, scientists have proven that cats are liquid.’ Such an iconic post by every cat lover filled the internet after the last IG Nobel Prize Ceremony.
Some treat this ceremony as a joke, yet it sets forth vital questions about what science is about and whom it needs to serve.
In 2021, the IG Nobel Prize was held online for the second year because of the global pandemic, Covid-19.
But this celebration of life, science, and science in life has maintained its grandiosity successfully. Filled with tossing paper airplanes, 24/7 lectures, and singing, last year’s IG Nobel Prize laureates got an award for their great and exceptional achievements.
In a Nutshell!
As mentioned, the IG Nobel Prize celebration is meant to honor and celebrate the unusual while spurring people’s interest when it comes to medicine, technology, and science.
But in general, what most scientists have realized is that every part of research is important. Plus, science leaves a place for creativity, and research shouldn’t be regarded as useless just because it makes people laugh.