Backpack voted Fat Bear Week 2026 winner, beating former champ's offspring
Summary
Backpack was named the winner of Fat Bear Week 2026 at Katmai National Park in Alaska, beating another bear named 910 by about 5,000 votes. This yearly contest celebrates the bears getting ready for winter by gaining weight, and it attracted a large number of voters from many countries.Key Facts
- Backpack won Fat Bear Week 2026 with 103,334 votes; runner-up bear 910 received 98,253 votes.
- Sixteen bears competed, with Backpack winning each round by either a large or narrow margin.
- Backpack is the offspring of Holly, the 2019 Fat Bear Week champion.
- Holly introduced Backpack to Brooks River in 2006; Backpack overcame a serious leg injury as a cub.
- Fat Bear Week started in 2014 to highlight the brown bears of southwest Alaska.
- The contest grew popular, with over 1.7 million votes cast worldwide in 2025.
- Voting in 2026 was so heavy it caused website problems, requiring an extension of the voting period.
- Notable past winners include bears Otis, Beadnose, Holly, 747, Grazer, and Chunk.
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