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

TRENDING Fat Bear Week is back. Meet the heavyweights vying for the title By Rachel Goodman Global News Posted September 22, 2026 3:28 pm Updated September 22, 2026 3:40 pm 2 min read View image in full screen 480 Otis walks across Brooks River in Bristol Bay, AK on Sept. 20, 2023. 480 Otis is estimated to be 27 years old and is a four time Fat Bear Week Champion. Getty Images LEAVE A COMMENT SHARE THIS ITEM ON FACEBOOK SHARE THIS ITEM ON X SEND THIS PAGE TO SOMEONE VIA EMAIL SEE MORE SHARING OPTIONS DESCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE INCREASE ARTICLE FONT SIZE It’s Fat Bear Week, which means one thing for the 16 Alaskan brown bears competing for the title of heavyweight champion: bigger really does mean better. The annual contest begins on Sept. 22, the first day of fall, with voting for the carb-loading contenders open to the public until Sept. 29. 2:09 The search for ‘Boo-Boo’ the bear The search for ‘Boo-Boo’ the bear Bear rescued from Okanagan Lake Fall Bear Awareness Next Video STORY CONTINUES BELOW ADVERTISEMENT Fat Bear Week is a bracket-style, single-elimination tournament with daily rounds to whittle down the field. Get breaking Montreal news Get breaking Montreal news delivered to your inbox as it happens so you won't miss a trending story. SIGN UP FOR BREAKING MONTREAL NEWSLETTER GET STARTED BY PROVIDING YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, YOU HAVE READ AND AGREE TO GLOBAL NEWS' TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY. This year’s contest features five bear families, two subadults, four single adult females and five adult males who call Alaska’s Katmai National Park home. Among them is last year’s reigning champion, who is fittingly named Chunk, weighing in at approximately 1,200 pounds. The bears will be streamed live all week, so viewers can catch a glimpse of the rotund foragers in their natural habitats, including at Brooks Falls where they are often seen catching bountiful salmon and taking naps as they fatten up ahead of hibernation season. Voters are asked to judge each bear’s before-and-after shots from late spring to early fall based on how successful a bulking season they have. The bear they do not vote for in a pairing risks being eliminated. This year’s competition has the most beefed-up cub competitors it’s seen in a while, Park Superintendent Mark Sturm explained. “There are more cubs at Brooks Camp this year than have been seen in a long time,” he said. “A new generation of fat bears is taking shape, and they’re off to a strong start.…