Backpack Crowned 2026 Fat Bear Week Champion at Katmai National Park

Bear 89, known as Backpack, won the 2026 Fat Bear Week championship at Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve, defeating Bear 910 in Tuesday's final.

Backpack secured 103,334 votes against Bear 910's 98,253, concluding a tournament that garnered over 2.3 million votes globally. Backpack, approximately 20 years old, is the son of Bear 435, Holly, who was the 2019 Fat Bear Week champion. His name originated from his habit as a cub of climbing onto his mother's back while they crossed Brooks River.

Backpack overcame a serious leg injury as a yearling in 2007, which park staff and visitors initially believed would be fatal. This year's competition, in its 12th or 13th year, featured 16 bears in a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament. Backpack advanced by defeating Bear 620 with over 95% of the vote in the second round and narrowly beating Bear 164, Bucky, in the semifinal with 79,945 votes to 75,805.

Bear 910 had previously defeated Bear 909 and the 132 family. The contest celebrates the resilience of the 2,200 brown bears inhabiting the preserve on the Alaska Peninsula. Fat Bear Week, initiated in 2014, aims to educate the public about brown bears. The bears in the contest frequent the Brooks River, where they gorge on abundant salmon from late June to build fat reserves for winter hibernation.

Adult male brown bears can gain up to 25% of their body weight by autumn, with some exceeding 540kg. During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink and lose one-third of their body weight. Voting for the competition is conducted online, with livestreams available on explore.org.