Katmai National Park launches Fat Bear Week for its twelfth year

The annual contest, which began in 2014, highlights the intense biological reality of brown bear survival. Because bears do not eat or drink during winter hibernation, they must consume roughly a year’s worth of calories in about six months, often losing up to a third of their body weight in the den.

Defending Champions and Contenders in Alaska

Last year’s winner, Chunk—officially known as Bear 32—entered this year’s tournament hoping to defend his title after weighing an estimated 544 kilograms during his previous victory. Katmai National Park and Preserve is home to approximately 2,200 brown bears, where adult males typically weigh between 270 and 410 kilograms, though exceptionally large males can exceed 450 kilograms following heavy salmon consumption. Females in the region generally weigh about one-third less than males.

Mike Fitz, a resident naturalist at Explore.org, explained to the Associated Press that the competition is designed to raise public awareness of the animals and their winter preparations rather than merely identifying the heaviest animal. “This year, I think it’s pretty tough to predict. I mean, there’s a few bears that are larger than others, but it’s not necessarily about body mass alone. We want people to consider the bears’ stories as well, because getting fat means different for a big adult male who’s maybe trying to dominate access to the best fishing spots at Brooks Falls,” Fitz noted.

The Ecological Importance of Healthy Salmon Runs

Fitz highlighted the importance of healthy salmon populations to the bears’ survival, pointing to the abundant sockeye salmon runs in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region as an exemplary natural habitat. According to Fitz, the region demonstrates why protecting and restoring salmon populations elsewhere in North America remains critical, particularly in areas where salmon numbers face ongoing declines.

The tournament also grants observers a window into the daily challenges wildlife faces in the park. Viewers watch bears fish, play, and manage the hardships of motherhood. “We get to see their their joys when they have a belly full of fish, we get to see them having fun when they’re playing with another bear in a friendly manner and we get the see the real hardships that they experience the mother struggling to feed their cubs, the mothers who maybe lose cubs for instance,” Fitz explained to the Associated Press.

Interactive Public Voting and Digital Surprises

The public decides the winner through an online tournament bracket, with the final round scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2026. For enthusiasts engaging with the event globally, Google introduced an interactive surprise for the 2026 tournament: searching for “Fat Bear Week” generates a digital bear on the screen that users can feed with salmon to help it gain weight for winter hibernation.