Fat Bear Week Begins in Alaska as Public Votes on Katmai Bears
The bracket-style contest lets voters compare before-and-after photos of 16 brown bears as they build fat reserves for winter hibernation.
- On Tuesday, September 22, public voting opens for Fat Bear Week at Katmai National Park, Alaska, where 16 brown bears compete in a single-elimination tournament to be crowned the chunkiest.
- The National Park Service established this annual tournament in 2014 to celebrate bears preparing for winter hibernation by consuming enough calories to avoid losing 15-30% of their body weight.
- Reigning champion 32 Chunk leads 15 other contestants across four categories—families, subadults, single adult females, and adult males—with voters selecting the bear that "best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears."
- Fans can cast votes on Explore's website from September 22 through September 29, participating in a contest that draws nearly one million votes annually celebrating these "chubby cubbies."
- After voting concludes, Katmai officials typically post "transformation" photos showcasing the bears' visible bulking, highlighting the thriving ecosystem that supports some of the world's largest brown bears.
144 Articles
144 Articles
In Alaska, 'There Is No Such Thing as Too Fat of a Bear'
The rackets are set as the bigtest show in bear-watching kicks off. Katmai National Park's Fat Bear Week starts on Tuesday, with 16 supersize brown bears vying for the public's votes and the title of heftiest field, per Alaska Public Media. Fueled by an unusually strong socket salmon run, the...
Mooresville Tribune
Fat Bear Week is back. Meet this year's contenders
The annual beloved online showdown that turns Alaska's bulkiest brown bears into internet celebrities is returning for its 12th edition this week, celebrating the bears' remarkable pre-hibernation glow-ups.
Fat Bear Week Begins with Family Groups and Sow Power
Today we have a total of four matches—eight bears!—to weigh. New this year is the introduction of family groups. Female bears who are well-fed going into hibernation are more likely to have the nutrients needed to birth and care for cubs in the den.
Fat Bear Week 2026: Here’s how to participate!
It's time for Fat Bear Week 2026! Vote for your favorite corpulent cutie as the brown bears of Katmai National Park fatten up for winter. The post Fat Bear Week 2026: Here’s how to participate! first appeared on EarthSky.
Associated Press News
Fat Bear Week opens for Alaska’s heavyweight crown. Can Chunk, the 1,200-pound champ, win again?
After a summer spent packing away sockeye salmon, Alaska’s heftiest brown bears are ready to throw their weight around.
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