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

Fat Bear Week, an annual competition to crown the fattest bear at Katmai National Park in Alaska, is back for its twelfth year starting September 22. Sixteen bears are competing, including defending champion Chunk, who has recovered from a broken jaw. The event, which began as a one-day showcase in 2014 and garnered over 1.7 million votes last year from more than 100 countries, allows viewers to vote daily online until September 29. Live streams of the bears’ activities are available on Explore.org for those participating in or simply interested in observing the event.

Written by AI on 2026-09-22, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

Story summary

The 12th annual Fat Bear Week kicked off on September 22, with online voting concluding on September 29 to determine the fattest bear at Katmai National Park in Alaska. Over 1.7 million votes from over 100 countries were cast last year, highlighting the event's popularity. This year, 16 bears, including defending champion Chunk (Bear 32) who weighed around 1,200 pounds last year, are competing in a single-elimination bracket. Livestreams on Explore.org allow viewers to watch the bears in their natural habitat as they feast on sockeye salmon and prepare for hibernation. The contest celebrates the resilience of the approximately 2,200 brown bears that live in the preserve on Alaska's southwestern peninsula. Voting is done online at www.fatbearweek.org.

Written for “Fat Bear Week Alaska” on 2026-11-01, grounded in this article and the 9 other(s) covering the same event.

📰 Fat Bear Week Alaska

Entertainment · 10 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

This article reads unscored and hedges 8% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

Fat bear week kicks off its 12th year — meet the contenders Same event

New York Post

Hedges 2 of 11 claims Outlet record 66/100

Fat Bear Week has returned – and the salmon are swimming for their lives Same event

The Guardian

Hedges 2 of 41 claims Outlet record 66/100

Alaska's salmon-feasting bears face off in biggest Fat Bear Week ever Same event

NPR

Hedges 3 of 29 claims Outlet record 60/100

Fat Bear Week bracket is set: meet the heavyweights, underdogs and defending champ in this year's tournament Same event

Fox News

Hedges 3 of 36 claims Outlet record 69/100

Fat Bear Week opens for Alaska’s heavyweight crown. Can Chunk, the 1,200-pound champ, win again? Same event

Toronto Star

Hedges 0 of 22 claims Outlet record 64/100

Fat Bear Week is back. Meet the heavyweights vying for the title Same event

Global News

Hedges 1 of 15 claims Outlet record 63/100

Voting opens in Alaska’s annual Fat Bear Week Same event

The Straits Times

Hedges 1 of 12 claims Outlet record 66/100

Voting now open for round two of Fat Bear Week after turnout crashes portal Same event

CBS News

Hedges 0 of 3 claims Outlet record 66/100

It’s nearly Fat Bear Week and a fan favorite is back: Here’s everything you need to know Different event

The Independent

Hedges 2 of 30 claims Outlet record 59/100

“Article A reports on the return and condition of Chunk 32 before Fat Bear Week starts, while Article B announces the start of voting for the competition.”

WATCH: The annual Fat Bear Week tournament is underway Different event

ABC News (US)

Hedges 0 of 1 claims Outlet record 70/100

“Article A announces and describes the start of Fat Bear Week on Sept 22, while Article B covers commentary on the ongoing tournament on Sept 25.”

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Kiki Intarasuwan

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🔮 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.

2026-09-22 · assertive framing · Fat Bear Week is here: Meet Backpack, Bucky and other chunky contenders

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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.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-22

🔮 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.

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

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

bears → face → Alaska

The bracket for this year's single-elimination contest expanded from and includes the defending champion, Chunk. asserted

bracket → expand → champion

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. asserted

bear → start → 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. asserted

winner → vote → Week

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. uncertain

which → start → 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. asserted

voters → partner → 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. asserted

bears → locate → fish

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

rangers → answer → talks

Bears have reached "peak fat" asserted

Bears → reach → fat

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. asserted

bears → say → salmon

"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. asserted

Fitz → get → livestream

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

Hunt → go → months

Park officials have noted that there are more cubs at Brooks Camp this year than in a long time. asserted

officials → note → time

More than 100 different bears have been identified at Brooks River so far through the webcams, according to Fitz. uncertain

bears → identify → Fitz

"A new generation of fat bears is taking shape, and they're off to a strong start. asserted

they → take → 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. asserted

Sturm → watch → statement

Meet Fat Bear Week 2026 contenders These 16 bears are vying to become the new Fat Bear Week champion. asserted

bears → meet → contenders

He's healed from the broken jaw he sustained last year and is ready to defend the crown.89 asserted

he → heal → jaw

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

that → know → fur

151 Walker A growing adult male, 151 Walker has relied on his pear-shaped body to rise through the bear hierarchy. asserted

Walker → grow → hierarchy

164 Bucky Bucky has grown big after discovering a fishing spot that lets him catch salmon in the plunge pool at Brooks Falls as they rise from below or leap through the air. asserted

they → grow → air

903 Gully Gully inspired his own name because of his unusual feeding behavior: chasing and eating gulls along Brooks River. asserted

Gully → inspire → River

She managed to raise three growing cubs while gaining enough fat for the competition. asserted

She → manage → competition

284 Electra Years of experience are contained in Electra's iconic shoulder hump, and she's here to compete against one of her cubs, 901, while raising two spring cubs. asserted

she → contain → cubs

610 610 may be smaller than other adult females, but she's mighty and resilient, having survived a serious injury and become independent earlier than the average bear. uncertain

she → survive → bear

She has two spring cubs this year, her first known litter. asserted

She → have → litter

806 806 raised her own cub while adopting another, Biggie, into her life. asserted

806 → raise → life

She's kind-hearted but willing to get her paws dirty to protect her family. asserted

paws → get → family

901 901 is recognized for her "exceptional fat-building ability" and strong fishing skills that have clearly been passed on to her cub. asserted

that → recognize → cub

620 620 came from a big family that traveled closely and raised cubs together. asserted

that → come → cubs

She became independent last year. asserted

She → become → ?

694 694 has found that he doesn't need to compete with the older bears for salmon if he finds a different spot to feed to get ready for hibernation. asserted

he → find → hibernation

Marshmallow Marshmallow, who is light brown to blond, spent her younger years developing her fishing skills, and she appears to be fatter than ever this year. asserted

she → spend → skills

She earned her name for her focus while fishing. asserted

She → earn → focus

She recently lost two cubs this summer. asserted

She → lose → cubs

She has learned multiple ways to catch food and found several places to do so, giving her more options for fuel. asserted

She → learn → fuel

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

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