Backpack

Bear 89, a brown bear nicknamed Backpack, has been crowned the winner of Fat Bear Week 2026, the annual contest celebrating the bulkiest salmon-fattened bears of Katmai National Park. Fans vote each year on which bear has best prepared for hibernation, and the competition draws a large online following. Enthusiasts are congratulating Backpack and discussing the bear's size ahead of winter.

Backpack, a large brown bear described as a gentle giant, has been declared the winner of Alaska's Fat Bear Week, the annual contest held at Katmai National Park and Preserve. The competition celebrates the resilience of the roughly 2,200 brown bears living in the preserve, which gorge on salmon ahead of winter hibernation. Fans vote in head-to-head matchups, and the yearly event draws international attention each autumn.