Teenager Wins $250,000 for Classifying All Noble Polyhedra

Connor Hill, a 17-year-old from Port Matilda, Pennsylvania, secured the $250,000 first-place award at the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search by delivering a computational proof of the complete list of noble polyhedra. By converting the geometric challenge into algebraic and polynomial equations, his custom software reduced an infinite search to a finite, verifiable set, revealing two infinite families and precisely 146 isolated examples.

The result was announced at a formal ceremony held at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., jointly by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Society for Science. Hill’s method, which originated from discussions in an online geometry community, may have broader applications across mathematics and scientific modeling. The competition awarded more than $1.8 million to 40 finalists selected from thousands of applicants nationwide. Second-place went to Edward Kang for an AI-based autism screening tool, and third-place to Iris Shen for clams-based blood-cancer research.