Backpack

Bear #89, nicknamed Backpack, has been named the winner of Fat Bear Week 2026, the annual competition held in Alaska's Katmai National Park in which the public votes for the brown bear that has best bulked up ahead of winter hibernation. The bear beat the rest of the field to take the popular title, delighting fans who follow the contest each year.

Fat Bear Week, the annual contest run from Alaska's Katmai National Park that lets the public vote for the bear that has best bulked up for hibernation, has reached its final matchup between Bear 910 and a competitor nicknamed Backpack. The yearly bracket draws wide attention each autumn as fans compare photos of the salmon-fattened brown bears and cheer for their favourites.