Voting has officially launched for the 12th annual Fat Bear Week event. Held at Katmai National Park and Preserve, the contest pits 16 Alaskan brown bears against one another in a single-elimination bracket to determine the season's most successful eater.
Chunk’s attempt to defend a 1,200-pound title
The 2026 Fat Bear Week competition has entered its high-stakes voting phase in Alaska.. As reported by the source, last year's champion, Chunk (also known as Bear 32), is returning to the bracket to defend his heavyweight status. Chunk's 2025 victory was secured with an estimated weight of 1,200 pounds, setting a massive benchmark for this year's participants.
Voters can participate online at fatbearweek.org to decide which of the rotund residents of the Alaska Peninsula deserves the crown. The winner will be announced on September 29, following a process where the public reviews before-and-after photos of the bears to judge their seasonal weight gain. To assist in the decision-making process, the public can also watch the bears via explore.org's livestream cameras, providing a real-time look at the contenders in their natural habitat.
Gully’s rise and the legacy of Bear 128
New competition is emerging in the form of Gully, known officially as Bear 903, who is poised to challenge the established veterans. According to the report, Gully is the offspring of the two-time champion Grazer (Bear 128), adding a layer of familial drama to the contest. This lineage highlights the cyclical nature of dominance within the 2,200 brown bears that inhabit the preserve.
Now in its 12th year, the contest was originally established in 2014 as an interactive way to educate the public about brown bears, which are the coastal cousins of the more widely known grizzlies. By participating, the public engages with a nonprofit initiative designed to celebrate the resilience of these animals as they navigate the harsh Alaskan environment.
The biological drive behind the Brooks River salmon feast
The massive weight gain observed during Fat Bear Week is a critical survival mechanism for the brown bears of Katmai National Park. To prepare for winter hibernation, these bears gorge on migrating salmon along the Brooks River, often catching fish midair as they swim upstream to spawn. This intense feeding period is essential because bears lose approximately one-third of their body weight during the months they do not eat or drink.
While adult male brown bears typically weigh between 600 and 900 pounds in midsummer, the successful hunters can exceed 1,000 pounds by the time hibernation begins. This biological imperative transforms the bears from lean summer residents into the massive contenders seen in the annual tournament. females, however, tend to be about one-third smaller than their male counterparts , creating a distinct physical hierarchy within the population.
Will voters favor mass or the drama of the 2024 fight?
A significant question remains regarding how the public will cast their ballots, as the bears are not actually weighed by officials . The source notes that some fans choose their favorites based on personal backstories or physical appearance rather than strictly scientific metrics. This raises the possibility that the intense 2024 conflict—in which Chunk attacked and injured a cub belonging to Grazer—might sway voters toward a "redemption" narrative for Grazer or a "villain" arc for Chunk, rather than a purely biological assessment of fat reserves.
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