Summer isn't officially over for wildlife fans until one thing happens: Fat Bear Week returns. The beloved online showdown that turns Alaska's bulkiest brown bears into internet celebrities is back Sept. 22-29, giving fans a chance to help crown the fattest bear of 2026.
Hosted by Katmai National Park and Preserve, the annual competition, now in its 12th year, celebrates the bears' remarkable pre-hibernation glow-up as they gorge on salmon and pack on pounds before winter. Thousands of fans cast ballots in head-to-head matchups, choosing which bear best embodies the survival skills and healthy appetite needed to make it through Alaska's harshest months.
"Fat Bear Week is always a celebration of the success of the bears," Naomi Boak, a media ranger
at Katmai, previously told USA TODAY. "Not just the big boys, but the sows with cubs, the young teenage bears, the subadults."
But when the votes are counted, only one bear will earn the title of Fat Bear Week champion.
Here's what to know about the annual competition, including when it starts, how voting works and which bears are competing for the crown.
When is Fat Bear Week 2026?
Fat Bear Week is scheduled for Sept. 22-29, according to organizers. The champion will be crowned Sept. 29 after a week of fan voting.
Katmai National Park spokesperson Matt Johnson confirmed the dates to USA TODAY on Sept. 8, adding that more competition details will be announced in the coming weeks.
What is Fat Bear Week?
Fat Bear Week is an annual celebration of Katmai's brown bears as they reach peak weight heading into hibernation, according to theNational Park Service.
The annual event, which began as Fat Bear Tuesday in 2014 and expanded into Fat Bear Week in 2015, is held at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska. Wildlife and bear enthusiasts from across the world are invited to participate in the event via live cams on explore.org, through which they can observe the bears in their natural habitats as they "feast on a banquet of Alaska wild salmon in one of the greatest salmon runs left on earth," NPS says.
The single-elimination tournament is held as hibernating bears reach peak fat after a summer-long effort. For each match-up, contestants vote for the bear they believe "best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears," officials wrote on the contest website.
As Katmai National Park puts it: Pick the bear you believe is most prepared to survive the long Alaska winter.
Which bears are competing this year?
Eleven bears are currently listed as competitors for this year's tournament:
- 26: A medium-sized adult female with round ears and grizzled brown fur on her neck and back.
- 32 Chunk: A large adult male with narrow-set eyes, dark brown fur, and a prominent brow ridge. He has a distinctive scar across his muzzle and a broken, yet healing jaw.
- 99: A young adult male with milk chocolate colored fur, oval-shaped ears and a muzzle that arcs slightly up toward the tip of his nose.
- 128 Grazer: A large adult female with a long straight muzzle, conspicuously blond ears and grizzled, light brown fur in late summer and fall.
- 503: A large and tall adult male with grizzled-brown body fur, light brown ears that appear crescent or apostrophe-shaped when viewed from the front or back.
- 602: A large adult male with uniformly grizzled-brown fur, wide-set ears and the fur on the middle of his forehead is often neatly parted. He can also be identified by a peculiar stomping dance that he does when his excitement level appears to be high.
- 609: A nearly five-year-old female bear with uniformly brown body fur with grizzled fur on her face, ears, and neck. She has large round ears, a narrow muzzle, and a prominent and conical shoulder hump.
- 856: A large adult male with brown body fur and light-brown ears. When fishing, he frequently licks his lips, which is a behavioral characteristic expressed by few bears at Brooks River, Katmai Conservancy said.
- 901: The medium-sized, fat adult female has blond-rimmed, triangular ears with golden brown fur in early summer and grizzled brown in late summer.
- 909: A large adult female with medium-brown fur, blond ears, and a prominent shoulder hump.
- 910: A large adult female with grizzled-brown fur. While fishing the lip of the falls, she occasionally throws her head upward, a behavioral tic that may be tied to the anticipation of catching salmon.
Find the complete list and details of the bears on Katmai Conservancy's website.
Who won Fat Bear Week 2025?
32 Chunk claimed the Fat Bear Week crown in 2025, defeating veteran bear 856 in the championship matchup.
According to previous USA TODAY reporting, 32 Chunk received 96,350 votes, while 856 earned 63,725 votes.
You can see all the previous winners in explore.org’s Fat Bear Week Hall of Champions.
Now, the reigning champion will look to defend his title against another field of salmon-fed heavyweights eager to claim the internet's most prestigious bear honor.
How to watch and vote
Fans can follow the competition through Katmai's famous bear cams and cast ballots in each matchup during the tournament. Voting typically takes place online, with winners advancing through a single-elimination bracket until one champion remains.
The event is a partnership among Katmai National Park and Preserve, explore.org and Katmai Conservancy.
Contributing: Eve Chen, Natalie Neysa Alund / USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@usatodayco.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fat Bear Week is back: Meet this year's contenders
