Fat Bear Week is here: Meet Backpack, Bucky and other chunky contenders

Sixteen bears are facing off for Fat Bear Week 2026, the highly anticipated tournament among the chunkiest bears at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

The bracket for this year's single-elimination contest expanded from last year's 12 competitors and includes the defending champion, Chunk. Starting Tuesday, Sept. 22, bear lovers will get to vote on their favorite contenders and choose which bear has packed on more pounds for the winter season.

People can vote online between 12 and 9 p.m. ET each day, and voting will continue through Sept. 29, when the winner of Fat Bear Week 2026 will be decided.

The competition, which started in 2014 as a one-day event to showcase southwest Alaska bears, received more than 1.7 million votes in 2025 from more than 100 countries, according to the National Park Service.

In a series of livestreams on Explore.org , a multimedia organization that partners with the National Park Service to host the bear competition, voters can watch the bears in their natural habitat.

Several live cameras are located at Katmai National Park and Preserve, including along Brooks Falls, where brown bears are often spotted catching fish and napping.

Park rangers are also periodically available to answer audience questions about the bears through online ranger talks and Q&A sessions.

Mike Fitz, resident naturalist at Explore.org, said Monday that the bears at the national park have reached "peak fat" after "gorging on salmon, berries and other foods" all summer.

"Bears get fat to survive, and fat is the fuel that powers their ability to endure the monthslong famine that is winter hibernation," Fitz said during a livestream.

The giant creatures can go four to six months without eating, Katmai park ranger Troy Hunt added.

Park officials have noted that there are more cubs at Brooks Camp this year than in a long time. More than 100 different bears have been identified at Brooks River so far through the webcams, according to Fitz.

"A new generation of fat bears is taking shape, and they're off to a strong start. We're excited to watch them grow and learn as they prepare for winter in Katmai's incredible ecosystem," Park Superintendent Mark Sturm said in a statement.

All eyes are on Chunk as the Fat Bear Week 2025 titleholder . He's healed from the broken jaw he sustained last year and is ready to defend the crown.

Known for his quiet toughness, 89 Backpack is identifiable through his blond ears that pop against his brown fur.