Systembolaget’s junior prize 2026 has been awarded to Wossenseged Birhane Jemberie for his research on alcohol and health among older people, a field that remains relatively under-researched despite increasing alcohol consumption among older generations.

A new study led by Aarhus University Hospital shows that people who drink three or more alcoholic drinks a day suffer much larger and more serious brain hemorrhages, and at an average age 11 years younger than other patients. The results, published in Neurology, have already received major international attention.