Bear named Backpack wins Alaska's annual Fat Bear Week competition

Bear #89 Backpack has won the 2026 Fat Bear Week championship at Katmai National Park in Alaska. The annual competition asks people around the world to vote online for the fattest brown bear before winter hibernation begins.

This year, 16 adult brown bears competed in a bracket-style tournament that started on September 22. Backpack beat Bear #910 in the final round. The vote was one of the closest in the competition's history. Backpack also had a very narrow win against Bear #164, called Bucky Dent, in the semi-finals, winning by less than one percentage point.

The previous champion was Bear #32, known as Chunk. The competition helps raise public awareness about brown bears and their natural feeding habits during Alaska's salmon season.