Bear 910 and Backpack Reach Fat Bear Week Final in Alaska

The two heavyweight brown bears will face off in the online voting finale of Fat Bear Week, the 12th edition of the Alaska wildlife competition.

By Felo News Desk · Published Tue, 29 Sep 2026 22:05:01 GMT

Bear 910 and Backpack have emerged as the final two contenders in Alaska’s Fat Bear Week, the online tournament that crowns the heaviest brown bear in Katmai National Park. Voters will decide the winner on Tuesday, according to the Independent.

What happened

The single‑elimination, bracket‑style competition began on September 22 with 16 bears. After a series of match‑ups, Bear 910 and Backpack advanced to the championship round. The final poll closes on Tuesday evening, and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter.

What the reports add

Both Independent articles note that the contest is in its 12th year and that it celebrates the resilience of the roughly 2,200 brown bears that inhabit the Katmai preserve on the Alaska Peninsula. The first article specifies that the previous champion, Chunk (Bear 32), weighed an estimated 1,200 pounds and was eliminated in the first round by Bucky, who later lost to Backpack. The second article repeats this information and adds that the event featured a “single‑elimination, bracket‑style tournament.” Both sources state that voting is conducted entirely online at fatbearweek.org and that a livestream is available on explore.org.

What was said

The Independent did not include direct quotations in its coverage, so no quoted statements appear in this article.

How it came about

Fat Bear Week was launched in 2014 as an interactive way to educate the public about coastal brown bears, the cousins of grizzlies. Felo News previously covered the event’s 2025 edition, highlighting champion Chunk’s attempt to repeat his 1,200‑pound victory (Chunk Eyes Repeat Victory in Fat Bear Week). Earlier this month Felo reported on the start of the 2026 competition and the second‑round match‑ups (Fat Bear Week Round 2: Walker vs. Bucky Dent). The current finalists continue the tournament’s tradition of drawing millions of online votes and raising awareness of Alaska’s wildlife.

Key facts

Bear 910 and Backpack are the two finalists of Fat Bear Week 2026. (independent.co.uk)
The competition began on September 22 with 16 bears in a single‑elimination bracket. (independent.co.uk)
Voting is conducted online at fatbearweek.org and closes on Tuesday evening. (independent.co.uk)
Last year’s champion, Chunk (Bear 32), weighed about 1,200 pounds. (independent.co.uk)
Fat Bear Week is in its 12th year and aims to educate the public about brown bears. (independent.co.uk)