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Katmai National Park
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- 1
Fat Bear Week, Katmai National Park and Preserve's annual bracket-style contest that lets the public vote for the brown bear that has best bulked up before hibernation, has begun for 2026. The event draws a large global audience each autumn as fans follow individual bears' seasonal transformations and cast daily votes.
- 2Fat Bear Week voting frenzy sweeps Alaska's brown bears into the spotlight▼Fat Bear Week is here — and the voting frenzy for Alaska's chonkiest bears is breaking the internet
Fat Bear Week has begun at Alaska's Katmai National Park, where the public votes in an annual bracket-style tournament to crown the brown bear that has gained the most weight before hibernation. The contest, run by the National Park Service and explore.org, draws millions of votes each year and has become a beloved autumn internet tradition celebrating the bears' preparation for winter.
- 3Fat Bear Week returns as fans vote for Alaska's fattest bears▼Fat Bear Week is back — and the voting frenzy for Alaska’s chonkiest bears is breaking the internet
Katmai National Park's annual Fat Bear Week contest is underway, with fans voting in a bracket-style tournament to crown Alaska's fattest brown bear before hibernation. The event celebrates the bears' dramatic summer salmon feasts at Brooks River, and each year it draws huge online participation, playful banter over 'chonky' contenders, and attention to bear conservation.
- 4Fat Bear Week voting enters second round▼Fat Bear Week is officially breaking the internet as voting enters round two
Fat Bear Week, the annual contest run by Katmai National Park in Alaska in which the public votes for the bear that has gained the most weight before hibernation, has moved into its second round of voting and is drawing major attention online. Fans are debating match-ups between popular bears, sharing photos, and following the bracket-style tournament as it narrows toward a champion.