While most students worry about exams and projects, 17-year-old Connor Hill from Pennsylvania, USA, was achieving a remarkable feat through his creativity and computer skills. His hard work earned him the top spot in the biggest Student Science Award, securing him a prize of millions.
Connor Hill successfully solved a long-standing unsolved geometry puzzle with the help of a computer program, resulting in him winning the top prize in the 2026 Regeneron Science Talent Search. For this award, he received $250,000, which is equivalent to approximately 2.39 crore rupees.
A resident of Port Matilda, Connor Hill is a student at Delta High School, located at State College. He researched rare three-dimensional shapes called 'Noble Polyhedra.' These are structures where all faces are of the same size and every corner forms the same angle; a cube is a simple example.
Previously, mathematicians had discovered two infinite families and 61 specific examples of Noble Polyhedra, but there was doubt that other distinct examples might exist. Connor developed a computer program that checked these shapes in all possible ways. The result showed that the exact number of distinct (isolated) Noble Polyhedra is 146, in addition to the two already known infinite families.
Connor found this problem through an online geometry community. Gradually, he turned it into a complete proof. His research utilized concepts from both discrete geometry and algebraic geometry. Connor states that he has always been attracted to patterns and how they appear in different fields.
This year's Regeneron Science Talent Search received over 2600 applications, from which only 40 finalists were selected. Connor achieved first place among them. Connor is now set to enroll at MIT. Besides his studies, he presents segments on the school news program, volunteers at the Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, and enjoys spending time in harmony with nature.