Fat Bear Week 2026: Dates, How to Vote, and the Bears to Watch
Published September 26, 2026 · 8 min read · Category: Wildlife
Quick answer: Fat Bear Week 2026 runs from September 22 to September 29 at Katmai National Park in Alaska. It's the 13th year of the contest. Voting is free and online — fans compare before-and-after photos of brown bears from early and late summer, then pick which one has bulked up best for winter hibernation.
Every autumn, the internet puts aside its arguments and does something genuinely wholesome: it picks a champion based on how round a bear has become.
Fat Bear Week — the beloved annual bracket run by Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska — is back for its 13th year. The 2026 contest runs from September 22 to September 29, and fans from around the world can vote online.
The premise is simple. Throughout the summer, brown bears at Brooks Falls gorge on sockeye salmon to build up fat reserves before hibernating through the brutal Alaskan winter. Park rangers and wildlife biologists capture before-and-after photos of each bear from early and late summer. The public then votes on which bear has done the best job of getting fat.
Last year, over 1.7 million votes were cast from more than 100 countries to crown the furry chonker champion.
What Is Fat Bear Week?
Fat Bear Week is an annual, single-elimination tournament that crowns the brown bear that best prepared for hibernation. It's run by the National Park Service together with its partners, including explore.org, which operates the live webcams at Brooks Falls.
The contest is not just entertainment. It's a public education campaign that gives people around the world a window into the lives of wild brown bears — and a reason to care about the ecosystem they depend on.
Each bear in the bracket is identified by a number and, in many cases, a nickname given by park staff or longtime webcam viewers. Fans get attached. They have favorites. They campaign. And every October, someone wins.
Where it happens: Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park, roughly 290 miles southwest of Anchorage. It's one of the best places on Earth to watch brown bears fish for salmon — and the park's webcams stream the action live.
Fat Bear Week 2026: Dates and Schedule
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Fat Bear Junior | Mid-September (earlier bracket for cubs) |
| Bracket revealed | Late September |
| Voting opens | September 22, 2026 |
| Voting closes | September 29, 2026 |
| Champion announced | September 29, 2026 |
Each matchup runs for roughly 24 hours. Polls typically open in the morning and close the following morning, giving fans in every time zone a chance to weigh in.
How to Vote in Fat Bear Week
Voting is completely free. There's no account required, no app to download, and no cost.
- Visit the official Fat Bear Week page. The National Park Service and explore.org host the bracket each year.
- Compare the bears. Each matchup shows side-by-side photos — one from early summer, one from late summer. The difference is usually dramatic.
- Cast your vote. Pick the bear you think packed on the most weight relative to its own starting point.
- Come back daily. A new matchup opens every day of the week. Miss a day and you miss a vote.
Winners advance through the bracket until one bear is left standing — and crowned Fat Bear Week champion.
Pro tip: The webcams at Brooks Falls stream live video year-round. Watching the bears fish before you vote makes the whole thing considerably more fun — and you'll start recognizing individual bears by their behavior.
Why the Bears Need to Get Fat
Fat Bear Week is funny, but the biology behind it is serious.
Alaskan brown bears spend roughly six months hibernating. During that time they don't eat, drink, urinate, or defecate. They lose roughly a third of their body weight — sometimes more.
That means the fat they build up in summer is quite literally the difference between life and death. A bear that enters winter underweight may not survive. A bear that enters winter at peak weight has the best chance of emerging in spring healthy enough to reproduce.
- Sockeye salmon are the primary food source — rich in fat and protein.
- Bears can eat dozens of salmon per day during peak runs at Brooks Falls.
- Dominant bears claim the best fishing spots at the top of the falls, which is why size and status matter.
- Pregnant females need the most fat — they give birth in the den mid-winter while still hibernating.
So when the internet votes for the fattest bear, it's participating in a genuine measure of fitness. The bears with the highest body fat percentages are, quite simply, the ones most likely to survive and pass on their genes.
The Bears to Watch
Every year, the bracket features a mix of returning champions, crowd favorites, and up-and-coming contenders. Bears are identified by number, and many have picked up nicknames over the years from rangers and webcam viewers.
Returning champions and veterans
Several past winners are typically in the running. Veteran bears tend to have an edge: they know the best fishing spots, they've survived multiple winters, and their body mass is already substantial. Fans often rally behind a repeat champion — or against one, which makes for some of the most contentious matchups of the week.
Famous large males
The largest male bears at Brooks Falls are the ones who dominate the falls themselves. These bears can weigh well over 1,000 pounds by late summer and are almost always in the bracket. Their before-and-after photos are the most dramatic of the contest.
Solo females and mothers
Female bears, especially mothers with cubs, are often fan favorites. They have to work harder for their calories — they avoid the crowded falls while raising cubs and often fish at the lower river instead. A mother bear that successfully fattens up while keeping her cubs alive is doing something genuinely remarkable.
Note: The official bracket and full list of competing bears is released each September by the National Park Service. Check the official page for the confirmed 2026 lineup.
Fat Bear Junior: The Cub Bracket
Before the main event, there's Fat Bear Junior — a separate, shorter bracket for the park's first-year cubs.
The concept is the same. Fans compare photos of the cubs from spring and late summer, then vote for the one that has grown the most. Cubs rely on their mothers' fishing success, so a chunky cub is a sign of a skilled mother — which matters for the species as a whole.
Fat Bear Junior usually runs in mid-September, just before the main bracket opens.
Fat Bear Week: Frequently Asked Questions
When is Fat Bear Week 2026?
Fat Bear Week 2026 runs from September 22 to September 29, 2026. It's the 13th year of the contest.
How do I vote?
Voting is free and takes place online at the official Fat Bear Week site run by the National Park Service and explore.org. No account is required. A new matchup opens each day during the contest window.
Where is Fat Bear Week held?
The contest is based at Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska. The bears are filmed on the park's live webcams, and voting happens entirely online — you don't need to be in Alaska to participate.
How many votes does Fat Bear Week get?
Over 1.7 million votes were cast from more than 100 countries in the most recent contest. It's one of the most popular wildlife events on the internet.
Why do the bears need to get so fat?
Because they hibernate for roughly six months without eating or drinking. Brown bears lose about a third of their body weight during hibernation. The more fat they store in summer, the better their chances of surviving winter and reproducing in spring.
Can I watch the bears live?
Yes. Explore.org operates live webcams at Brooks Falls that stream year-round. The best viewing is during the summer salmon runs, but the cameras stay on through the fall and winter.
The Bottom Line
Fat Bear Week is the rare internet event that's both genuinely delightful and scientifically meaningful. It's a chance to watch wild animals prepare for the hardest season of their year — and to root for one of them.
Voting runs September 22–29, 2026. It's free, it takes about ten seconds a day, and it's a lot more fun than doomscrolling.
👉 Cast your vote at the official Fat Bear Week page — and share your picks with #FatBearWeek.
Filed Under
Disclosure: This article is independent editorial content based on publicly reported information from the National Park Service and explore.org. Contest dates and bracket details are subject to change — confirm final details at the official Fat Bear Week page.
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