The NOW 2026 poster theme: Escape the neutrino maze

The poster of the 2026 edition of the Neutrino Oscillation Workshop (NOW) is inspired by the rose window of the Cathedral of Otranto, built in the late 15th century. This rose window is a masterpiece of stone tracery, carved from the local pietra leccese by Salentine masters influenced by the Gothic–Arabic style. Its slender columns radiate outward from the central oculus and are connected by interlacing arches, bordered by concentric moldings. In the poster, the elaborate stonework of the Otranto rose window is reinterpreted as a ν maze (read as “neutrino” or “new” maze — pun intended). To escape this intricate maze, one should start at the bottom of the neutrino symbol (ν) in the oculus and exit at the top of the moldings. The escape path is fairly elaborate but unique, up to trivial variants; it crosses the initials of the maze designer. Try to find it! The solution touches all the workshop sessions (whose titles are framed within the moldings) and passes once through all the columns but one. Solving the maze symbolizes the continuing quest to fully understand neutrinos through different but interconnected approaches in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology, as well as the possibility that some paths may not lead to the desired results. We hope that the NOW 2026 participants will enjoy sharing ν science, solving the ν maze, and looking at Otranto’s artworks with ν eyes (once again, pun intended!).