The Ig Nobel Prizes are annual awards given for unusual scientific achievements that “make people LAUGH, then THINK.” They are awarded by the science humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research. The prizes were founded by American mathematician and programmer Marc Abrahams, who organized the first ceremony in 1991 while he was editor of the satirical magazine The Journal of Irreproducible Results. Through lighthearted irony, the prizes honor eccentric yet imaginative research and unconventional thinkers, although on rare occasions the organizers have also used their award selections to critique public policy and institutional practices. By bringing out the fun side of research and researchers, the prizes make science accessible to people and foster public interest in science, technology, and medicine.
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