Fat Bear Week 2026 begins with 16 bears competing

Fat Bear Week 2026 is underway at Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska, with 16 bears competing in an online tournament that asks the public to compare how much the animals have grown over the summer. Voting began September 22, and a winner is due to be declared September 29; the supplied reports do not identify this year’s champion. The returning titleholder is Chunk, also known as Bear 32, who won the 2025 contest with an estimated weight of 1,200 pounds. That figure is an estimate, not a weigh-in for the competition. Chunk is among this year’s entrants as voters choose between bears in a single-elimination bracket. The contest’s voting is based on before-and-after photographs, showing bears leaner earlier in the year and heavier after feeding through summer. The bears are not weighed for the competition. Participants vote online, and the bear with the most votes in each matchup advances. Fat Bear Week highlights the seasonal feeding that helps brown bears build reserves before winter. At Katmai, bears feed on salmon returning to the Brooks River, along with other foods. The accumulated fat supports them through winter, when they do not eat or drink during hibernation.