State Secretary Rikke Høistad Sjøberg, representing the Ministry of Education and Research, handed out the first prize.

- We must raise science talents, and the Abel competition is a great arena for that. Both Norway and the world need science talents to solve the biggest challenges we face like climate crisis, food shortage, and pandemics, says Sjøberg.

Math talent Andreas Alberg outperformed more than 3 400 participants in the initial rounds, and 24 other finalists before taking victory in the most prestigious science competition for high school pupils in Norway. Alberg won NOK 15 000 and the opportunity to represent Norway in the international mathematics Olympics in Bath, England July 15-22, 2019.

- The team did very well this year, just two points separated us three at the top. The result is one of the strongest in the final ever, now I believe that we will be able to assert ourselves in the Olympics, says winner Andreas Alberg, who also won the Abel competition last year.

- I hope the Abel competition inspires these mathematical talents, and that they retain the spark and joy of mathematics, says Sjøberg.

Second place went to Erik Mingjun Ma from Trondheim Cathedral School, and Thomas Thrane from the same school got third place. Fourth place went to Erik Mjaanes from Oslo International School, fifth place to Olav Hellebust Haaland from Fagerlia upper secondary school and sixth place to Jon-Magnus Rosenblad of Valler upper secondary school.

See all the results 

The PGS Challenger Award went to the young and promising Zejia He, from Oslo International School. Her low age and solid results make her a candidate who has the potential and capabilities to win the Abel competition in a few years.

- The Abel Competition is an important arena where we can celebrate and highlight talented young people in mathematics. They have the ability to think abstractly, the ability to see relationships, and the ability to gain insight into complex problems. These young people are the future and they have a very good starting point for contributing knowledge for a better world, says Einar Rønquist, head of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, NTNU.

The main sponsor of the Niels Henrik Abel Mathematics Competition, the seismic company PGS, invites all finalists to visit the company's head office in Oslo in connection with the distribution of this year's Abel Prize in mathematics. The aim is to give the students an insight into how PGS uses mathematics in practice to map the geology under the seabed and facilitate the oil companies in their search for oil and gas with seismic data.

- Math and science expertise is very important for our business, and we believe it will be even more important in light of the digitization wave that is washing over us. We believe it is useful to support future science superstars by sponsoring the Niels Henrik Abel Mathematics Competition, both to show them the opportunities that exist in the labor market and to demonstrate our social responsibility. We wish the Norwegian participants the best of luck in the Mathematics Olympics, says Rune Olav Pedersen, CEO of PGS.

The Niels Henrik Abel Mathematics Competition (known as the Abel Competition) is owned by the Norwegian Mathematical Society. NTNU has the professional and administrative responsibility, and the event is supported by the seismic company PGS, The Norwegian Academy of Science & Letters, and the Norwegian Research Council.

Read this press release in Norwegian

For More Information

Bård Stenberg, Communications Director PGS, tel. 992 45 235
Beate Horg, Communications executive for the Mathematics Center, NTNU tel. 412 11 821