Fat Bear Week 2026 winner crowned after public voting in Alaska’s Katmai National Park

Consensus Summary

Fat Bear Week 2026 crowned Backpack (Bear 89), a 20-year-old male brown bear, as the champion after a tight public vote in Alaska’s Katmai National Park. The annual online contest, which celebrates the bears’ ability to gain weight by feasting on salmon before hibernation, saw Backpack defeat Dancing Queen (Bear 910) by a narrow margin. Over 2.3 million votes were cast this year, with more than 200,000 in the final round, reflecting the event’s growing global popularity. The park’s population of almost 2,000 bears serves as the backdrop for the competition, which highlights their survival strategies ahead of winter.

The tradition began in 2012 when live cameras were installed in Katmai, allowing viewers worldwide to observe bears fishing for salmon. A viral before-and-after photo of a bear’s weight gain sparked the contest, which park rangers later formalized. The competition’s structure, modeled after a World Cup-style knockout tournament, pits 16 of the park’s heaviest bears against each other. Both sources agree the event has become a beloved annual tradition, blending wildlife conservation with internet culture.

Backpack’s victory was attributed to his quiet strength and loyal fanbase, with rangers noting his familiarity to viewers since 2012. His mother, Holly, won in 2019 and previously in the fifth year of the competition, though ABC specifies her 2019 win without mentioning the earlier landslide. Dancing Queen’s mother, Beadnose (409), also won in 2015 and 2018, making both finalists ‘nepo babies.’ The Guardian highlights Backpack’s estimated 1,200lbs (544kg) weight and his recovery from a 2007 leg injury, while ABC emphasizes his underdog story and the bears’ extreme caloric intake—up to 135,000 calories daily from salmon.

The two articles diverge on vote margins, with the Guardian stating Backpack won by 5,000 votes and ABC reporting a 5,000-vote difference in a 103,000-to-98,000 final tally. ABC also details the bears’ diet—30 salmon per day—and the competition’s knockout format, while the Guardian focuses on the event’s cultural impact and Backpack’s personal history. ABC includes unique details, such as a cub’s porcupine quill incident and the scrapping of the Fat Bear Week Junior competition, which are absent from the Guardian’s report.

Both sources agree the contest underscores the bears’ resilience, with rangers noting their weight gain as proof of survival through winter. The Guardian mentions a 2022 vote-rigging scandal involving Holly, while ABC looks ahead to the next animal-related internet event, the Fish Doorbell in March. Despite minor discrepancies, the articles collectively celebrate Fat Bear Week as a wholesome, globally engaging phenomenon that raises awareness for Alaska’s wildlife.