Overview
- Organizers published the 2026 Fat Bear Week bracket and set public online voting to run from September 22 to September 29, with matchups decided by single‑elimination pairings.
- Defending champion Bear 32, nicknamed Chunk, returns to defend his title and faces one of the headline challengers, Bear 164, known as Bucky, who has emerged as a rising heavyweight at Brooks River.
- The contest is framed as an educational conservation event that highlights hyperphagia, the late‑summer feeding period when bears bulk up on salmon and other foods to survive winter denning.
- Fans can view before‑and‑after photos, watch live bear cams on Explore.org, cast votes during tournament hours, and support the park through Katmai Conservancy donations and an explore.org donation‑matching campaign.
- What began as a 2014 ranger poll has grown into a global phenomenon, drawing millions of votes last year and drawing attention to Brooks River, its salmon runs, and the bears’ role in that ecosystem.