KATMAI NATIONAL PARK, Alaska - Fat Bear Week is back at Katmai National Park in Alaska and this year, the competition is fiercer than ever.
The competition happens every year to see which bears in Katmai National Park have packed on the most pounds ahead of their winter hibernation.
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It's a single elimination tournament, when the public votes online for who they think is the fattest bear.
Voting opens on Tuesday, Sept. 22 and the winner will be crowned on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
Bear families, subadult bears, adult females and adult males will all go head-to-head during the competition this year.
Located in southern Alaska, Katmai National Park is home to one of the largest populations of brown bears on the planet, along with the healthiest run of their favored entrée, wild sockeye salmon, according to the National Park Service.
Let's meet the bears competing to be the chunkiest of them all:
Adult males
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Single adult females
Subadults
Bear families are also included this year. Five mother bears and their cubs of the year can also be voted for in the competition.
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Fat Bear Week began in 2014, according to the National Park Service.
Last year, over 1.7 million votes were cast from more than 100 countries during the competition.
Learn more about the competition and vote for your favorite bears this year at their website.
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