How this 18-year-old’s love of origami helped him win a $100,000 at a science fair

Growing up connected Japan's northernmost land allowed Hikaru Kuribayashi to immerse himself successful nature, wherever origami patterns are everywhere.

"Imagine a mini ladybug," Kuribayashi, 18, told Business Insider. "That ladybug really uses origami patterns to fold and grow its wings."

Leaves. Flower petals. Insect wings. He'd often announcement the intricate patterns while traversing the Hokkaido prefecture's sprawling forests and mountains. Kuribayashi, however, believed origami's power connected quality could scope beyond creator inspiration.

"Origami and linkages person been utilized successful many, galore different fields," Kuribayashi said. "For example, immoderate satellites successful orbit usage origami star panels."

That's why, successful 2025, Kuribayashi mixed his passion for origami and subject to create a simulation programme that tin foretell analyzable folding outcomes. His investigation won the $100,000 apical prize astatine the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, beating retired complete 1,700 different precocious schoolhouse students from crossed the globe.

"I still can't judge I took apical prize because I person been dreaming astir participating successful ISEF since I heard of it successful eighth grade," he said.

Beauty successful nature

Kuribayashi became enamored pinch origami aft his grandma taught him arsenic a child, but his liking successful subject didn't crystallize until he became a precocious schoolhouse freshman. At the time, an older schoolmate who attended the International Science and Engineering Fair made his passion for the violin the ground of his research.

"My elder analyzed the beauty of the violin, but successful my case, what should I analyze? What benignant of beauty americium I willing in?" Kuribayashi said.

Ultimately, Kuribayashi chose the beauty of nature.

Kuribayashi spent astir 6 months processing the simulation programme pinch Julia, a programming connection akin to Python. Although he learned really to codification successful mediate school, Kuribayashi said his investigation was tough. The programme uses Markov Chain Monte Carlo, an algorithm that generates sample scenarios and uses them to estimate probable answers.

"I utilized very difficult algorithms," Kuribayashi said. "I really participated successful a laboratory astatine the University of Tokyo. The professor gave maine a batch of worldly that assemblage students use."

Testing the programme introduced much hurdles.

"I tested this programme a batch of times, but since my programming skills aren't professional, I had each these bugs I needed to fix," Kuribayashi said.

Some group now trust connected AI to constitute code, but Kuribayashi said that the exertion tin still make mistakes and often requires a quality fact-check. So, he opted to do everything himself.

"By analyzing earthy origami, which is very efficient, we tin return and find a caller pattern," Kuribayashi said.

Kuribayashi said caller patterns tin beryllium utilized successful engineering applications, for illustration creating star panels that fresh into compact spaces and portable emergency shelters.

"Since location are a batch of earthquakes aliases tsunamis successful Japan, we request to make objects that fold into very mini spaces," Kuribayashi said. "We request to bring shelters really quickly, but shelters request to beryllium very stiff and very big. This is wherever origami tin beryllium used."

A six-figure scholarship

For Kuribayashi, winning the George D. Yancopoulos Innovator Award astatine the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair was a dream. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Society for Science hosted the competition, which took spot successful Arizona this year. The finalists were awarded much than $7 cardinal successful prize money.

"I person a batch of appreciation for my family and world teachers. They really helped maine to behaviour this research," Kuribayashi said. "When I sewage backmost from the US, my family and grandparents celebrated. That was really, really nice."

Kuribayashi said he appreciated the opportunity to meet different young group from astir the world willing successful science.

"I talked pinch many, galore finalists successful ISEF," Kuribayashi said. "Local finalists person a immense passion for their research, and that was really, really fascinating. By participating successful this benignant of world competition, I could interact pinch caller perspectives."