Japanese teen wins Rs 96 lakh at science fair for origami research

Hikaru Kuribayashi, an 18-year-old from Hokkaido, Japan, won the George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

His research, inspired by his love for origami, outperformed over 1,700 high school student projects from around the world.

The prize was Rs 96 lakh (approximately $115,000).

Kuribayashi's work applied origami principles to solve a scientific or engineering problem, though specific details were not provided in the source.