It is that time of year when bears prepare for their long winter’s nap, and we get to vote on who’s packed on the most pounds.
The brown bears live near the Brooks River in Katmai National Park in Alaska, and every year officials put together a bracket of the bears that have been eating anything they can to make up for the void they experience during hibernation.
Officials said it is a single-elimination tournament, and the bears with the most votes advance to the next round, all the way to the Fat Bear Week champion.
Voting starts Sept. 22 and runs daily through Sept. 29 from noon to 9 p.m. ET.
If you want to see the bears in action, you can watch a live stream here.
Click here to download and fill out your bracket.
This year, there are five bear families made up of a mother bear and her cubs, two subadults, four single adult females, and five adult males vying for the crown. Most are known by numbers, but there are several that have nicknames such as Chunk, Backpack or Bucky. Click here to meet the bears.
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