It was the survival of the thickest during Fat Bear Week and "Backpack" beat all odds to emerge as the fattest bear of 2026.
The medium-large adult male with blond ears and grizzled brown fur in late summer, beat out no. 910, an adult female, by 5,091 votes to emerge as the winner of the 12th edition of the annual beloved online showdown that celebrates Katmai National Park and Preserve's
bears' remarkable pre-hibernation glow-up.Backpack, no. 89, is the son of Fat Bear Week champion, Holly, who introduced him to Brooks River when he was a first-year cub in 2006. He was often seen climbing onto his mother's back when the pair swam in the river, earning him his name.
"After nearly two decades at Brooks River, Backpack's journey from an injured
cub riding on his mother's back to a formidable adult male has made him one of the river's most recognizable bears," Fat Bear Week organizers said in a Sept. 29 news release. "In 2026, voters recognized that remarkable journey by choosing Backpack as the Fat Bear Week champion."
The bear has a few visible wounds and scars and experienced a significant leg injury since 2007, though no one knows how it happened. However, he recovered from it the next year thanks to his mother's care, separating from her in 2008. Since then, Backpack has grown into a large adult and become a consistent presence at Brooks Falls, especially in early summer, organizers said.
Unlike many large adult male bears, Backpack is not particularly aggressive toward his competitors, though he will not hesitate to stand up for himself when necessary.
"But he prefers to use a quiet strength to gain access to preferred fishing spots. His body size suggests that the strategy works," the Fat Bear Week website said. "Backpack’s quiet toughness has allowed him to find his niche alongside the biggest bears at Brooks River.
Record-breaking votes cast during Fat Bear Week
Fat Bear Week, this year, ran Sept. 22-29, with voting taking place on all days except on the weekend from Sept. 26-27. Fans cast ballots in head-to-head matchups to decide which bear best embodies the survival skills and healthy appetite needed to make it through Alaska's harshest months.
"A record-breaking more than 2.5 million votes" were cast over the week, organizers said.
"This year, we honored resilience in our bears and in our nation, recognizing the landscapes, communities, and shared stories that connect us," Katmai National Park said in a Sept. 29 post announcing the winner. "Thanks for being part of the journey. Until next year, enjoy the bears, salmon, and human connection that keeps Katmai's ecosystems alive."
The event is a partnership with Katmai National Park and Preserve, explore.org and Katmai Conservancy.
Which bears competed this year?
Organizers announced the bracket for this year's competition on Sept. 18, saying finalists were narrowed from more than 100 bears that were spotted at Katmai National Park's Brooks River in Alaska this year.
Park and preserve naturalist Mike Fitz, while announcing the bracket during a livestream, said the brown bears had reached "peak fat" and are ready to handle the long winter ahead. National Park Service's Sarah Bruce said the bears were eventually selected from those who showed up at the river early in the summer and reappeared later in the season, allowing the team to take good before-and-after photos showing how many pounds the bears packed on while feasting on salmon over the summer.
How are the bears identified?
Katmai's brown bears are assigned identification numbers by researchers and park staff so they can be tracked and monitored over time. Some of the best-known bears also have unofficial nicknames given by park watchers and staff, such as 32 "Chunk," 164 "Bucky," 151 "Walker" and 903 "Gully."
Why do some bears have names?
All bears are officially identified by number. Nicknames are not assigned systematically, but some bears, particularly well-known males that frequently appear on bear cams or have distinctive behaviors and physical features, have acquired informal names from staff and fans. Female bears are less likely to have widely used nicknames, though some do. Their official identification numbers remain the primary way the park tracks individual bears.
Participants were divided into different groups including:
Bear families
- 132 and 3 spring cubs: Despite being one of the largest and most experienced mother bears at Brooks River, 132 is a first-timer at Fat Bear Week, competing with her fourth known litter of three spring cubs. She is characterized by grizzled dark brown fur, forward-leaning ears and a wide belly. Her face is distinguished from other bears by an inverted V or chevron pattern of fur on her forehead.
- 284 and 2 spring cubs: This mother has a prominent shoulder hump, grizzled brown fur and blond-tipped ears.
- 610 and 2 spring cubs: Making her first Fat Bear Week appearance, this small adult female has a long muzzle and grizzled light brown fur. She is identifiable by a large scar, which is sometimes visible at the top of her hips.
- 806: Mother to a spring cub and adopted 2.5-year-old cub, this bear has round blond-tipped ears and grizzled brown fur.
- 901 and her spring cub: 901 is a medium-sized adult female with blond-rimmed and triangle-shaped ears. Her fur is golden brown in early summer and grizzled brown in late summer.
Subadult bears
A subadult is a young bear that has left its mother but has not yet reached full adulthood. These bears are still growing, learning to compete for fishing spots and establishing themselves within Katmai's bear hierarchy
- 620: A female subadult bear with a long tail and light brown fur that becomes grizzled brown by late summer.
- 694: A male subadult with round ears placed high on his head and uniformly brown fur with hints of a remnant natal collar near his neck.
Adult females
- 909: A large adult female with brown late summer fur and wide-set blond ears. She's a resilient mama bear who lost two of her cubs this season.
- 428 Studious: Daughter of former Fat Bear Week Champion Bear #128 Grazer, 428 is recognizable due to her short-pointed muzzle, blond ears and grizzled blond fur in late summer.
- 131: This bear has blond ears, dark eye rings, a short muzzle and light brown to blond fur that turns grizzled brown by late summer.
- 910: With dark brown fur, a prominent brow ridge and somewhat short forward-pointing ears, 910 has attracted many males during the brief bear mating season, including fellow Fat Bear Week contenders Bucky and Walker.
Adult males
- 32 Chunk: 2025's Fat Bear Week Champion has a large distinctive scar on his muzzle and a protruding canine tooth from a broken jaw suffered in 2025.
- 89 Backpack: A medium-large adult male with blond ears and grizzled brown fur in late summer. He is the son of Fat Bear Week champion, Holly.
- 164 Bucky: With grizzled brown fur and blond-tipped ears, this young upstart is an ace fisher-bear. He stands out with a line of darker fur near his eyes on his upper muzzle.
- 151 Walker: A Brooks River regular, this large adult male has dark brown fur, a pear-shaped body, a long muzzle and large round ears.
- 903 Gully: Two-time champion Grazer's offspring, Gully, got this nickname because he likes to snack on gulls in addition to salmon. The medium-large adult male has grizzled brown fur and a long straight muzzle. In the early summer, he is often identifiable by his Eeyore-like sitting position on the lip of Brooks Falls.
Fat Bear Week voting
Voting for Fat Bear Week took place online, with winners advancing through a single-elimination bracket until one champion remained. Voting began Sept. 22 at noon ET / 9 a.m. PT.
Fans followed the competition through Katmai's famous bear cams and cast ballots in each matchup during the tournament.
What is Fat Bear Week?
Fat Bear Week is an annual celebration of Katmai's brown bears as they reach peak weight heading into hibernation, according to the National Park Service.
The annual event, which began as Fat Bear Tuesday in 2014 and expanded into Fat Bear Week in 2015, is held at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Wildlife and bear enthusiasts from across the world are invited to participate in the event via live cams on explore.org, through which they can observe the bears in their natural habitats as they "feast on a banquet of Alaska wild salmon in one of the greatest salmon runs left on earth," NPS said.
The single-elimination tournament is held as hibernating bears reach peak fat after a summer-long effort. For each matchup, contestants vote for the bear they believe "best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears," officials wrote on the contest website.
Contributing: Eve Chen, Natalie Neysa Alund / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Which Fat Bear Week contestant beefed up to 'peak fat'? See winner
