Bear 89, better known as Backpack, was named the 2026 Fat Bear Week champion on Tuesday, September 29, after narrowly defeating Bear 910 in the final public vote at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.
Backpack received more than 100,000 votes and finished just above 50% in the final matchup, according to Associated Press reporting updated September 29. The Washington Post reported that the weeklong bracket drew more votes than last year’s 1.7 million total.
What the contest measures
Despite the playful name, Fat Bear Week highlights a serious seasonal test. Brown bears at Brooks River spend late summer and early fall feeding heavily on salmon so they can build enough fat to survive winter hibernation. Explore.org says the event is a single-elimination tournament that asks voters to consider not only visible size but also the challenges each bear overcame and its success preparing for winter.
Backpack, a roughly 20-year-old adult male, was first seen at Brooks River in 2006 with his mother, Bear 435 Holly, who won Fat Bear Week in 2019. He got his nickname after climbing onto Holly’s back while swimming as a cub. He also recovered from a serious leg injury early in life, part of the history that helped make him a well-known figure on the park’s live cameras.
A close final between two bear lineages
The 2026 final matched two first-time finalists whose mothers had previously won the contest. Bear 910 is the daughter of two-time champion Bear 409 Beadnose. Backpack’s win followed a tournament that included 16 bears, the largest bracket in the event’s history.
Organizers emphasize that the competition is not a literal weigh-in. Voters use before-and-after images, bear biographies and the live Brooks River cameras to judge each animal’s transformation and resilience. Adult male brown bears may exceed 1,000 pounds by the time they enter hibernation, after months of intensive feeding.
The official Fat Bear Week page explains that salmon usually provide the richest and most accessible food at Brooks River, where bears may gather from late June into mid-October. That concentrated food source supports the seasonal weight gain the contest celebrates.
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Featured image: Brown bear fishing for salmon. Photo by Greg Johnson on Unsplash. The stock photo is illustrative and does not depict Backpack.