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Fat Bear Week Returns With Bracket Reveal Monday, Voting Sept. 23–30

An exceptional sockeye run promises heftier bears for the 11th annual online vote.

Brown bear fishing for salmon at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, Alaska.
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.
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Overview

  • Twelve bears will be announced Sept. 22 for a single-elimination bracket with four first-round byes and a champion set for Sept. 30.
  • Public voting takes place online at fatbearweek.org and explore.org with one vote per email in each matchup.
  • Explore.org and park partners say this year’s abundant salmon run should produce especially large contenders at Brooks Falls.
  • Grazer (bear 128) enters as the two-time defending champion, and her offspring 128 Jr. has already won the 2025 Fat Bear Jr. contest.
  • Bears are judged by appearance because weighing is impractical, and large males often exceed 1,000 pounds by fall with some estimated up to 1,200–1,400 pounds.