Overview
- The 2026 bracket lists 16 entries divided into bear families, subadults, single adult females, and adult males with specific bear ID numbers for each matchup.
- Public voting will run online from Tuesday, Sept. 22 through Tuesday, Sept. 29 in a single-elimination format where the public advances bears by popular vote.
- Defending champion 32 Chunk returns to the adult-male bracket and is noted for his roughly 1,200-pound size, a broken jaw and distinctive facial scars.
- First-time and notable contenders include female 806 and subadult 694, and this year’s bracket adds a bear-families category that lets voters pick among five mothers with cubs.
- Organizers say the event celebrates bear ecology at Brooks River — where strong sockeye runs let bears bulk up for hibernation — and it has grown into a global outreach event that drew about 1.7 million votes last year.