Alaska's Fat Bear Week kicks off with online voting to crown the most oversized ursine

https://mynorthwest.com/local/alaska-fat-bear-week/4135093

Alaska’s Fat Bear Week kicks off with online voting to crown the most oversized ursine

Sep 23, 2025, 6:54 AM

BY MARK THIESSEN, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
After gorging all summer on sockeye salmon, the portliest brown bears on the Alaska Peninsula will battle it out to see who will be named the fattest of them all in the wildly popular online voting contest called Fat Bear Week.

Those casting votes online starting Tuesday will choose between 11 mammoth brown bears and the winner of last week’s competition for cubs, named “128 Junior.” She’s a cub of “Grazer,” the two-time defending Fat Bear Week champion at Katmai National Park and Preserve, who is looking for a third title.

The contest, which began in 2014, is meant to showcase the resiliency of the brown bears, who pack on the pounds each fall to survive the harsh winter, mostly by gobbling salmon on the Brooks River in the remote preserve about 300 miles (482 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage by plane. The public can watch the bears on explore.org’s livestream cameras before deciding on their favorite creature.

How to vote for Fat Bear Week

The 12 contestants announced Monday will face off in a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament. All voting is done online at www.fatbearweek.org, with the winner declared Sept. 30.

… more … then the top four face off …