The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics goes to Francis Halzen, announced on Tuesday, October 6, by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (VRT NWS, Daily Maverick, Daily Sabah, Nobelprize.org). The committee honours his discovery and scientific leadership for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a detector made of a cubic kilometre of ice at the South Pole with light sensors, used to detect high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources. Halzen is the sole laureate and receives 12 million Swedish kronor, just over a million euros. He was born in Tienen in 1944, earned his master’s (1966) and doctorate (1969) in Leuven and has worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1972. It is the twelfth Belgian Nobel Prize and the second in physics after François Englert in 2013. Ellen Moons, a professor from West Flanders and Secretary General of the Academy, made the announcement.
Neutrinos are almost massless particles that fly through matter almost unhindered. By capturing them, researchers can look at processes in the universe that light does not show. The prize also confirms the role of Belgian and Flemish scientific education in top international physics.
Nothing changes immediately in daily life, but the prize is good news for the universities and for fundamental research. KU Leuven calls Halzen its fourth Nobel laureate among its alumni.
A fine moment for Belgian research, but also a reminder that such a prize is the result of decades of patience and international cooperation. Watch the reaction of the Flemish and federal governments on research funding.
VRT NWS, KU Leuven, Daily Maverick, Daily Sabah, Nobelprize.org (Oct 6, 2026)
Science · Nobel PrizePress ✓ 4 outlets · Nobel Committee and KU Leuven confirm
Belgian Francis Halzen wins the Nobel Prize in Physics for his hunt for “ghost particles” in the ice of the South Pole
The 82-year-old physicist from Tienen is the twelfth Belgian Nobel laureate and the second in physics after François Englert in 2013. His IceCube detector registers neutrinos from space.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physics on Tuesday, October 6, to Francis Halzen, VRT NWS, Daily Maverick and Daily Sabah report. The Nobel Committee calls his discovery and scientific leadership fundamental to the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a cubic kilometre of ice at the South Pole, studded with light sensors, that tracks down high-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources. Halzen is the sole laureate and receives 12 million Swedish kronor, just over a million euros. The announcement was made by Ellen Moons, a professor from West Flanders and the Academy’s Secretary General, the first Belgian in that role (VRT NWS).
Halzen was born in Tienen in 1944, studied physics at KU Leuven (master’s in 1966, doctorate in 1969) and has worked at the University of Wisconsin-Madison since 1972. For KU Leuven he is the fourth Nobel laureate among its alumni. He is the second Belgian with a Nobel Prize in Physics, after François Englert in 2013. In a live blog, the VRT headlined a remark of his that he “wants to stay in a hotel room for as long as possible, until the attention has died down”.
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By the numbers
12thBelgian Nobel laureate ever
1 km³of ice with light sensors in the IceCube detector
12 millionSwedish kronor in prize money, just over 1 million euros
Secondary school students in Wallonia have been protesting since Thursday, October 1. Liège closed all its secondary schools on Friday, October 2, after spontaneous gatherings and the throwing of projectiles (Paris Match Belgique). On Monday, October 5, 15 students were injured by a pyrotechnic device and law enforcement stepped in at several places in Wallonia (Paris Match Belgique). Noovo reports that the demonstrations got out of hand in several cities. According to The Brussels Times, police arrested 16 people on Monday. On Tuesday, October 6, students gathered in front of schools in Liège again, which Paris Match Belgique calls the epicentre of the anger. The students support their teachers and are protesting against the education reform and the spending cuts.
The protests are a signal of discontent in French-language education. Injuries and arrests put law enforcement and the responsibility of organisers under pressure.
Parents in Wallonia should expect school closures and unrest around schools. If you send a child to school, it is best to follow the messages from the school and the city.
The students say they support their teachers and point to the spending cuts in education.
Those who want to maintain order point out that projectiles, firecrackers and violence are unacceptable. DailyDrop saw no official statement from the minister responsible.
Protest is a right; violence is not. The question is whether the political message about the education reform is still audible among the images of rioting. Watch the official figures on injuries and arrests, and a reaction from the minister responsible.
Paris Match Belgique, Noovo, The Brussels Times (Oct 1–6, 2026)
Society · EducationPress ✓ 2 outlets · arrests according to The Brussels Times
School-student protests in Wallonia: 15 young people injured by a pyrotechnic device, new demonstrations in Liège
Since Thursday, October 1, secondary school students in Wallonia have been protesting against education policy. The city of Liège closed all its secondary schools on Friday, October 2, after spontaneous gatherings and the throwing of projectiles, Paris Match Belgique reports. On Monday, October 5, according to the same source, 15 students were injured by a pyrotechnic device and law enforcement stepped in at several places in Wallonia. Noovo writes that the demonstrations got out of hand in several cities, including Liège.
On Tuesday, October 6, students gathered in front of schools in Liège again, a day after police, according to The Brussels Times, had arrested 16 people when demonstrations turned violent. The protest is directed against the education reform and the spending cuts. Paris Match Belgique calls Liège the epicentre of the students’ anger; they support their teachers. DailyDrop could not independently confirm the cause of the injuries.
Open the story and DailyDrop’s take
Word of the day
Pyrotechnic deviceSafetyAn object with an explosive charge or fireworks, such as a firecracker or smoke bomb. Possessing it and using it against people is a criminal offence.