Backpack reported winner of 2026 Fat Bear Week

Bear 89, known as Backpack, won the 2026 Fat Bear Week final over Bear 910, according to a report published September 30 that gave Backpack 103,344 votes and Bear 910 98,253. The result followed a weeklong online contest featuring 16 brown bears from Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The reported tally gives Backpack a margin of 5,091 votes. However, accounts published before the final poll closed said voting was still underway and that a winner would be declared Tuesday evening. The available information does not establish when the poll closed, so the timing and completion of the reported count remain unclear. Backpack, officially Bear 89, advanced to the final after defeating Bucky, who had beaten last year’s champion, Bear 32, known as Chunk. Bear 910 reached the final after defeating Bear 132, a mother bear whose three spring cubs also featured in the tournament. The annual contest asks the public to choose a bear based on its size and success, as the animals build fat reserves by feeding on salmon before winter. Contestants must frequent the area around Brooks River, where salmon return from late June.