Fat Bear Week 2026: Meet Chunk, Walker and the Bears Competing for the Crown
Every fall, millions of people tune in to watch some of Alaska’s fattest brown bears gorge on salmon ahead of winter hibernation.
Fat Bear Week has evolved from a quirky online contest into one of the country’s most popular wildlife events, drawing attention to the annual salmon run at Alaska’s Katmai National Park and the importance of healthy ecosystems.
The stars of Fat Bear Week 2026 are bigger than ever, but the annual contest is about more than which brown bear packed on the most pounds before hibernation.
This year’s tournament features a mix of defending champions, rising heavyweights and bears with remarkable survival stories.
From reigning champion 32 Chunk, who overcame a broken jaw to capture last year’s title, to 164 Bucky Dent, an emerging fan favorite known for his fishing prowess, the competition offers voters a chance to celebrate the resilience, adaptability and success of some of the largest brown bears on Earth.
As voting begins, fans will be watching to see whether Chunk can repeat as champion, whether veterans like 151 Walker can reclaim the spotlight, or whether newer contenders such as 903 Gully can ride their growing popularity to a Fat Bear Week crown.
The result may be decided by fatness, but the stories behind the bears are what keep millions of viewers coming back each year.
Newsweek reached out to the Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, by email Saturday for comment.
Hall of Fame Champions
32 Chunk
Chunk is one of the most recognizable contenders in Katmai National Park’s Fat Bear Week competition. Named for his stocky build, Chunk is known for packing on impressive amounts of weight during the annual salmon run, transforming from a relatively lean summer bear into one of the river’s largest bears by fall.
“In 2025, he returned with a broken jaw and missing teeth but continued to feed successfully,” Katmai Conservancy’s website said.
Unlike some of Katmai’s longtime fan favorites, Chunk’s appeal comes from his dramatic seasonal weight gain. Photos often show him becoming nearly unrecognizable as he prepares for hibernation, making him a strong contender in a contest that celebrates the bears that best embody pre-winter success.
164 Bucky Dent
If there’s a bear poised to dethrone Chunk, it may be 164 Bucky Dent.
Described by Explore.org as an “ace fisher-bear,” Bucky Dent has emerged as one of Brooks River’s most skilled salmon catchers.
Still relatively young compared with some of Katmai’s veterans, he represents the next generation of dominant male bears and has quickly developed a loyal following among Fat Bear Week fans.
151 Walker: A Brooks River Veteran
Another familiar face in this year’s bracket is 151 Walker, one of the river’s most dominant adult males.
Walker has been a regular presence at Brooks Falls for years, where his size and confidence often allow him to secure prime fishing locations. His combination of experience and physical strength makes him a perennial threat whenever Fat Bear Week voting begins.
903 Gully: Carrying on Grazer’s Legacy
Among the most intriguing contenders is 903 Gully, an offspring of two-time Fat Bear Week champion, 128 Grazer.
Gully earned his nickname because of his habit of supplementing his salmon diet with gulls. This summer, he frequently competed with Walker for fish in the Brooks River, offering viewers a glimpse of the rivalries that help shape the park’s bear hierarchy.
As the son of one of Fat Bear Week’s most celebrated champions, Gully carries both a famous lineage and high expectations into the tournament
Conservation Challenges Facing Katmai’s Bears
While Fat Bear Week celebrates the success of Katmai National Park’s brown bears, conservation groups say the annual contest also highlights the importance of protecting the ecosystems that make those dramatic weight gains possible.
According to the Katmai Conservancy, healthy salmon runs are the foundation of the park’s bear population. The bears depend on abundant salmon to build up enough fat reserves to survive months of winter hibernation.
Any disruption to salmon habitat, water quality or spawning streams could have ripple effects throughout the ecosystem, affecting not only bears but also birds, fish and other wildlife that rely on the same resources.
Climate change is another concern. Scientists have observed shifts in temperatures and seasonal patterns that can influence when salmon migrate and when bears emerge from hibernation, according to Katmai Conservancy. Changes in food availability can affect how much weight bears gain before winter, potentially impacting their survival and reproductive success.
The popularity of Katmai’s bears has also brought increased attention to the park. Conservation advocates stress that responsible tourism, habitat protection and continued research are essential to ensuring future generations can witness the same wildlife spectacles that have made Fat Bear Week an international phenomenon.
What Happens Next
Fat Bear Week voting begins with head-to-head matchups that allow the public to pick their favorite bears based on photographs taken earlier in the summer and at the peak of fall feeding season.
Voting starts Tuesday, September 22 at noon ET and ends September 29.
Each round narrows the field until a champion is crowned. Fans can cast votes online and campaign for their favorite contenders across social media, turning the wildlife competition into a friendly internet spectacle.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.