Voting in this year's Fat Bear Week begins Tuesday

NPR · 1:02

28,086 views · 1,515 likes · Sep 21, 2026

It's Fat Bear Week! Voting starts tomorrow in the 12th annual tournament that pits 16 brown bears — up from 12 in recent years — at Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve against each other as voters judge which bear is biggest.⁠
⁠
The contest of heavyset hopefuls opens for online voting at fatbearweek.org Tuesday and runs through Sept. 29.⁠
⁠
Find “NPR News Now” wherever you listen to podcast…

It's Fat Bear Week! Voting starts tomorrow in the 12th annual tournament that pits 16 brown bears — up from 12 in recent years — at Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve against each other as voters judge which bear is biggest.⁠
⁠
The contest of heavyset hopefuls opens for online voting at fatbearweek.org Tuesday and runs through Sept. 29.⁠
⁠
Find “NPR News Now” wherever you listen to podcast…

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