In a rare achievement, a 17-year-old Pennsylvania student has won the top $250,000 prize at the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search after using a custom computer algorithm to solve a difficult problem involving rare three-dimensional geometric shapes, according to a report in the Times of India.
Connor Hill, from Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, developed a computational method to classify a complex group of shapes known as noble polyhedra. His research identified two infinite structural families along with exactly 146 isolated examples, completing a classification that mathematicians had been working toward for years. The result earned Connor Hill first place in one of the United States' most prestigious high school science competitions.
How Connor Hill solved the geometry problem
Polyhedra are three-dimensional objects made from flat faces, straight edges and vertices and its familiar examples include cubes, pyramids and octahedrons.
Noble polyhedra are considerably more complicated. They have a high degree of symmetry, with every face having the same shape and every vertex sharing the same arrangement of faces.
Researchers had already identified two infinite families of noble polyhedra. However, the complete number of isolated examples remained uncertain. By 2020, 61 isolated examples had been confirmed, but mathematicians suspected there could be many more.
Hill approached the problem computationally.
Rather than attempting to examine an effectively endless collection of three-dimensional shapes directly, he translated the geometry into algebraic and polynomial equations. This allowed his program to reduce the problem to a finite number of possibilities that could be systematically checked.
The exhaustive computation ultimately showed that there are exactly 146 isolated noble polyhedra, alongside the two infinite families.
‘Breaking’ a huge problem into smaller pieces
Hill explained that changing the mathematical framework was central to his breakthrough. "By translating the problem into a different mathematical framework, I could narrow it down to a finite set that could actually be solved."
His interest in noble polyhedra began through an online geometry community, where the classification problem had been discussed as an open challenge.
For Hill, the project also demonstrated how mathematics can help address questions far beyond pure geometry. "Science gives us the concepts, but math allows us to formalize them and apply them. When we're solving big problems, the key is breaking them into smaller pieces that math can address. Often, breakthroughs happen when someone connects ideas across disciplines."
That approach has potential applications in other areas, including computational mathematics and scientific modelling.
Other young researchers also made headlines
Hill was one of 40 finalists who collectively received more than $1.8 million in awards at the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search.
Second place went to 17-year-old Edward Kang of New Jersey, who developed an AI-based retinal screening tool designed to detect subtle blood-vessel patterns associated with autism and ADHD.
Third place went to 17-year-old Iris Shen of Texas, whose research explored potential blood cancer treatments using clams as a testing model.
Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science, praised the students for tackling difficult problems.
"Their bold vision and perseverance reveal what the next generation of problem solvers truly looks like—and why our future is in capable hands."
Hill's next step is MIT
Hill's achievement comes as he prepares for another major academic challenge. The teenager plans to attend MIT this autumn, where he intends to continue studying computational mathematics.
His $250,000 prize is a remarkable reward for solving a problem that began with abstract geometric shapes but the bigger significance may be the method he developed to solve it.
By turning an apparently endless mathematical problem into a finite computational search, Connor Hill has shown how a high school student's algorithm can help answer a question that had remained open for years.
