Fat Bear Week, an annual event since 2014, has started at Alaska’s Katmai National Park, where 11 brown bears compete in a bracket-style voting contest to be crowned the fattest bear. The competition, which garners global attention, involves people voting online to determine which bear has the most impressive fatness and success in gathering salmon for winter hibernation. Notable contenders include 32 Chunk, possibly over 1,200 pounds, and 609, the 2022 Fat Bear Junior champion. Last year’s winner, Grazer, who was the first female to win back-to-back titles, is returning this year. The event emphasizes the bears' preparation for winter, with their weight influenced by the salmon abundance in the Brooks River area. Voting begins on September 19 and continues through September 30, with live cameras available for viewers. The competition highlights the bears' survival skills and the importance of salmon in their ecosystem, with the winner crowned on September 30.