Millions Vote in Alaska's Fat Bear Week Competition

While Americans are consumed by their political season, millions of people worldwide are following an entirely different kind of election: the battle for the title of Alaska's fattest bear.

Fat Bear Week has returned to Katmai National Park in Alaska, where 16 brown bears are competing in a special tournament in which the public decides which of them gained weight most impressively in preparation for winter. Voting began on September 22 and continues through September 29, when the winner will be announced.

The event has become a global internet phenomenon in recent years. Last year, more than 1.7 million people from over one hundred countries cast votes, after the competition that began in 2014 as a small online poll transformed into an international event drawing massive audiences each year.

Bears feast on salmon in Alaska (Photo: Social media)

Coming into this year's competition as defending champion is bear number 32, nicknamed "Chunk," who won the title in 2025. His weight was estimated then at approximately 1,200 pounds, nearly 550 kilograms, and he's back now attempting to win the title for a second consecutive year. Among his competitors are other notable bears, including "Gully," bear number 903, who is the offspring of "Grazer," a two-time tournament winner.

But the bears' real goal isn't actually to win the competition, it's to survive. During the summer months they consume enormous quantities of salmon, and with the fat layers they accumulate, they prepare for winter, when they enter their dens and rely on the energy reserves they've built up.

According to the National Park Service, bears in the Brooks River area can gain hundreds of pounds during the feeding season. During the winter period they may lose up to a third of their body weight, so the fat accumulated in the months before entering the den is literally a matter of survival.

Heavyweight champion: "Chunk" stands beneath Brooks Falls. His broken jaw and one of his canine teeth visible on the right side of his snout. (Photo: National Park Service / Tyler Carmack)

The bears flock to Brooks River thanks to the massive quantities of salmon that arrive there. Where humans see an incredible spectacle, the bears experience an annual feast: they spend hours in the water, catching fish and continuing to eat as long as the season allows.

Despite the competition's amusing name, the bears aren't actually weighed specifically for the voting. The public is asked to judge based on their appearance, the transformation they've undergone during the summer, and each bear's story. The Park Service emphasizes that the competition is also designed to illustrate how essential fat is to the bears' survival and to expose the public to Katmai's rich ecosystem.

The competition is conducted tournament-style, with bears facing off against each other in each round and online voters choosing which one advances to the next stage. By the final showdown, only two bears remain, and the public decides which of them will be crowned Fat Bear Week champion for 2026.

Interest in the competition has long since transcended Alaska's borders. Cameras positioned in the area allow viewers to follow the bears in real time, and viewers can watch them fishing, resting, fighting over prime spots in the river, and above all trying to eat as much as possible before winter arrives.

Now, the question that will occupy millions of online voters through the end of the week: which bear will claim the coveted title of Alaska's fattest bear?