Fat Bear Week is back! From September 23 through September 30, 2025, Alaska's Katmai National Park will invite fans worldwide to vote for the park's fattest brown bear. Now in its 11th year, the fun contest shines a spotlight on these remarkable animals and the Alaskan wilderness they call home.
Spanning 4.1 million acres, Katmai is a land of volcanoes, rivers, and forests. It is home to about 2,200 brown bears that thrive on the park’s salmon-rich rivers and abundant natural resources. There are no roads into the park. But visitors can reach certain areas by boat or plane to safely observe the animals.
The idea for Fat Bear Week came to Park Ranger Mike Fitz in 2014 when he saw two pictures of the same bear shared by a fan on the park’s website. The side-by-side images, taken from the bear cam, showed the bear’s impressive weight gain from June to September. Bears rely on these fat reserves to survive the long winter hibernation.
Inspired, Fitz and other rangers launched a one-day event called "Fat Bear Tuesday" on Facebook, where votes were counted via "likes." The following year, the event expanded into a whole week, drawing hundreds of thousands of participants. Over the years, the competition has become increasingly popular. In 2024, it received over a million votes from more than 100 countries.
Fat Bear Week is a single-elimination competition. It features 12 adult brown bears. Each bear is selected based on photos and livestreams that show their dramatic weight gain over the summer. The bracket is revealed shortly before the event begins, and fans vote online in daily head-to-head matchups. The bear with the most votes moves to the next round. The final two bears compete on "Fat Bear Tuesday," which will fall on September 30 in 2025. The champion is crowned based on the public's vote. In addition to the main contest, there is also a "Fat Bear Jr." contest. It allows fans to vote for their favorite younger bears.
"You can cast for the bear that has gotten the fattest, the bear that looks like it gained the most weight between summer and fall, or you can vote for your favorite bear," says Sarah Bruce, Katmai's media head.
Grazer, the 2023 and 2024 champion, and last year's runner-up, Chunk, are expected to return in this year's bracket. However, the competition may be tougher due to the record amount of salmon, the bears' primary food source. The abundance of fish could give many bears a shot at the crown.
"We've never seen so many fish in this river. There was almost not enough water for all the fish," says Bruce.
Whether you vote for the returning champion or a newcomer, Fat Bear Week is a fun way to follow these amazing animals. It is also a reminder of the importance of protecting their wild Alaskan home.
Resources: Explore.org, NPR.com, NPS.gov