Fat Bear Week Begins As Alaska’s Biggest Bears Battle For the Crown

Fat Bear Week has returned to Katmai National Park in Alaska, with public voting opening Tuesday for an annual competition celebrating brown bears as they prepare for winter.

Sixteen bears are competing in a single-elimination tournament, with voters choosing the animal that best represents successful preparation for hibernation.

Reigning champion 32 Chunk is among this year’s contestants, competing alongside 15 other bears divided into categories including families, subadults, adult females and adult males. Voting runs from September 22 through September 29 and has attracted nearly one million votes in previous years.

The competition also highlights the healthy ecosystem around Katmai, where abundant food supplies allow the park’s brown bears to reach some of their impressive seasonal sizes.

Related Tweet:

Fat Bear Week is back at Katmai National Park in Alaska and this year, the competition is fiercer than ever. https://t.co/4DbijPW7Yy

— FOX 13 Tampa Bay (@FOX13News) September 22, 2026

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