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Fat Bear Week 2025 Bracket Revealed Today, Voting Runs Sept. 23–30

An exceptional salmon run has left Katmai’s bears especially well-fed.

Brown bear fishing for salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, Alaska.
Meet 435 Holly! She was the winner of Fat Bear Week back in 2019. Learn how to vote for the corpulent cutie of your choice below! Image via NPS/ L. Carter.
Grazer, a female bear who is the two-time defending champion in the popular online Fat Bear Week competition, is shown Sept. 27, 2024, in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska.

Overview

  • The single-elimination bracket of 12 bears is unveiled Sept. 22, with four first-round byes and a champion to be crowned Sept. 30.
  • Public voting takes place Sept. 23–30 from noon to 9 p.m. ET at FatBearWeek.org/Explore.org, with one vote per email address.
  • Park staff report an unusually abundant salmon run in 2025, leading to bigger bears and fewer clashes at Brooks River than last year.
  • Grazer (bear 128) is the two-time defending champion from 2023 and 2024, and her cub 128 Jr. has already won this year’s Fat Bear Jr.
  • The event draws a global audience—more than 1 million votes were cast in 2024 from over 100 countries—and includes live bearcams on Explore.org.