Bear 89 Backpack has won Fat Bear Week 2026, receiving 103,334 votes to Bear 910’s 98,253 in the September 29 championship. The result gives the adult male his first title in the annual competition celebrating the brown bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve.

The final between two former champions’ offspring guaranteed a new name on the winners’ list. Backpack now joins his mother, 435 Holly, who won in 2019. Bear 910’s mother, 409 Beadnose, won in 2015 and 2018.

The finalists collected 201,587 votes between them. Backpack finished ahead by 5,081.

His semifinal against 164 Bucky was closer still. Backpack advanced by 4,140 votes on September 28 after much wider victories in his first two matchups.

Round	Backpack’s votes	Opponent	Opponent’s votes
First round, September 24	140,140	610 Family	20,635
Quarterfinal, September 25	123,416	620	6,173
Semifinal, September 28	79,945	164 Bucky	75,805

Bear 910’s path included wins over 131 Marshmallow, her sister 909 and 132 Family. Each round was a separate vote. No earlier lead carried into the final.

Twenty years after Holly brought him to Brooks River

Backpack’s history at the river stretches back to 2006. As a cub, he made a habit of riding on Holly while she swam, giving observers the nickname that would follow him into adulthood.

A year later, an injured front leg made moving around difficult. Holly adjusted where she fished and appeared to slow her pace so he could follow. His leg healed by September 2007, and he was living independently the following year. A National Park Service account of Backpack’s recovery documents that early chapter of his life.

Today, Explore’s profile describes a bear who’s less confrontational than many other large males. He can defend his position, but frequent aggression hasn’t been essential to his success at the river. His relatively unscarred appearance helps distinguish him from other males of similar age and size.

That history adds something a single seasonal comparison can’t show. The 2026 champion belongs to a life story that observers have followed from his first summer through injury, recovery and years of independent fishing.

At Brooks River, the fishing skills behind those autumn transformations help bears build winter reserves. The vote doesn’t establish which finalist weighs more.

During hibernation, bears rely on stored energy without eating or drinking. When Backpack settles into his den, the meals behind his winning photographs will still have months of work to do.