The fat bear week bracket 2026 has been revealed ahead of the annual Katmai National Park competition, with 16 entries set to compete when public voting begins September 22. The National Park Service and Explore.org released the official bracket September 18, setting up eight opening-round matchups and a championship on September 29. This year’s field includes individual adult bears, sub-adults and family groups, making the 2026 tournament notably different from previous editions.
The competition takes place at Brooks River in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve. Brown bears spend the summer feeding heavily on salmon and building the fat reserves they need for winter. The public then chooses which bear or family entry best demonstrates that seasonal transformation.
The 2026 event is the 12th annual Fat Bear Week. Last year, more than 1.7 million votes came from more than 100 countries before Bear 32, known as Chunk, won the championship.
When Does Fat Bear Week 2026 Start?
Fat Bear Week begins Tuesday, September 22, 2026. Voting continues through Tuesday, September 29, when the champion will be crowned.
There will be no voting during the weekend of September 26-27. The tournament resumes Monday, September 28, before the final takes place Tuesday.
Voting is scheduled from noon to 9 p.m. Eastern on voting days. That corresponds to 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Alaska time.
The first-round matchups are divided between September 22 and September 23. Quarterfinals follow on September 24 and 25. After the weekend break, the semifinals take place September 28, followed by the championship September 29.
The 2026 Fat Bear Week Bracket
The official tournament contains 16 entries. They are divided into four groups: mother bears and their families, single adult females, sub-adult bears and adult males.
The first-round schedule is:
| Date | First-Round Matchup |
|---|---|
| September 22 | Bear 132 Family vs. Bear 284 Family |
| September 22 | Bear 806 Family vs. Bear 901 Family |
| September 22 | Bear 909 vs. Bear 428 |
| September 22 | Bear 131 vs. Bear 910 |
| September 23 | Bear 694 vs. Bear 620 |
| September 23 | Bear 610 Family vs. Bear 89 “Backpack” |
| September 23 | Bear 32 “Chunk” vs. Bear 164 “Bucky Dent” |
| September 23 | Bear 151 “Walker” vs. Bear 903 “Gully” |
Each opening-round winner advances into the quarterfinals. The eight quarterfinalists are then reduced to four semifinalists before the final two meet on September 29.
The bracket is a single-elimination competition. The entry receiving the most votes in each matchup moves forward.
Who Is in the 2026 Bracket?
The 2026 field features a mixture of familiar names and first-time competitors.
The mother-and-family group includes Bear 132 with three spring cubs, Bear 284, also known as Electra, with two cubs, Bear 806 with mixed-age cubs, Bear 901 with a spring cub, and Bear 610 with her family.
Bear 132 is a first-time Fat Bear Week contestant. She has been identified at Brooks River since 2009 and is raising her fourth known litter.
Bear 284, or Electra, was born in 2008. She is recognizable by her prominent shoulder hump, grizzled brown coat and blond-tipped ears. Her family has a long history at Katmai.
Bear 806 enters with mixed-age cubs. Her family has received considerable attention because of the unusual circumstances surrounding the bears associated with her this summer.
Bear 901 is another experienced female at Brooks River. She enters with her spring cub.
Bear 610 is a first-time competitor and mother. Her inclusion gives voters another opportunity to compare the seasonal growth of a mother bear and her young family with that of individual adult bears.
Single Female Bears in the Bracket
Four single adult females occupy another section of the bracket.
They are:
- Bear 909
- Bear 428
- Bear 131
- Bear 910
Bear 909 is a 10-year-old mother bear who began the season with two cubs. She ultimately lost both during the summer.
Bear 428 has a notable family connection. She is descended from Bear 128, better known as Grazer, who won Fat Bear Week in 2024.
Bear 131 is a nine-year-old female who was once nicknamed Marshmallow because of her lighter brown appearance.
Bear 910 is also connected to Katmai’s extended bear family history. She is part of the blended bear-family story that attracted attention around Brooks River this year.
Sub-Adult Bears Bring a Different Challenge
The sub-adult section contains Bear 694, Bear 620, Bear 610’s family entry and Bear 89, known as Backpack, within the overall bracket structure.
Bear 694 is a first-time male competitor born in 2022. He has been observed interacting and playing with other sub-adult bears.
Bear 620 is approaching adulthood and is associated with Katmai’s blended “Brady Bunch” bear family.
Bear 89, nicknamed Backpack, is the son of Bear 435, Holly, the 2019 Fat Bear Week champion.
Sub-adult bears can be harder to judge through simple before-and-after photographs. Their bodies change through growth, including substantial skeletal development. They may become longer and taller without displaying the large abdominal profile associated with some adult males.
That difference is important when looking at the bracket. Fat Bear Week does not simply compare pounds between identical types of bears. Voters are considering bears at different stages of life and under different biological demands.
Defending Champion Chunk Returns
One of the biggest storylines in the bracket is the return of Bear 32, known as Chunk.
Chunk won the 2025 championship and enters the 2026 tournament as the defending champion. His first-round opponent is Bear 164, known as Bucky Dent.
The matchup is scheduled for September 23.
The pairing is particularly notable because Chunk and Bucky are both well-known adult males at Brooks River. Katmai ranger Sarah Bruce said the two bears represent a difficult early-round matchup that might normally be expected later in the tournament.
Chunk also enters the competition after another challenging season.
Rangers have reported that his jaw remains severely damaged. He has a broken mandible, a broken canine and broken front teeth. Despite the injury, he has continued fishing and has put on substantial weight.
Rangers do not know exactly how Chunk suffered the original jaw injury. He was seen at Brooks River in May 2025, left in June, and returned later that month with the injury.
His continued ability to feed demonstrates the adaptability of wild bears. The injury remains visible, but it has not prevented Chunk from participating in the salmon season or returning to the Fat Bear Week bracket.
Bucky Dent, Walker and Gully Complete the Adult Male Group
Bear 164, Bucky Dent, is one of the other major names in this year’s field.
He is a younger adult male known for his distinctive fishing behavior. His matchup against defending champion Chunk is one of the first-round contests attracting significant attention.
Bear 151, known as Walker, is another regular at Brooks River. He faces Bear 903, known as Gully, on September 23.
Gully has a family connection to Grazer. He is one of her offspring and received his nickname because he is known to eat gulls as well as salmon.
Walker and Gully have also competed with each other in the wild. The two have been observed pursuing the same salmon resources at Brooks River.
Why Family Groups Are Part of the Bracket
One of the defining features of the 2026 competition is the presence of family units.
The National Park Service has reported that more cubs are present at Brooks Camp this year than have been seen in a long time. That has influenced the composition of the tournament.
Mother bears face different demands from single adult females and adult males. A mother must build her own reserves while also nursing, feeding and protecting cubs.
That makes a family entry more than a simple comparison of body size. The bears are preparing for winter while young cubs are also developing the skills they need to survive.
This year’s family-heavy bracket reflects the unusual number of cubs observed around Brooks River during the season.
Fat Bear Week Junior Is Not a Separate Competition in 2026
Another important change is the absence of a separate Fat Bear Week Junior competition this year.
In previous years, cubs could participate in their own single-elimination tournament. For 2026, young bears are instead represented through family entries in the main bracket.
That means viewers will see mother bears and their cubs competing together rather than a separate junior tournament.
The change also makes this year’s bracket particularly focused on family life at Brooks River.
How the Bracket Works
The tournament follows a straightforward single-elimination format.
Voters see competing bears or family entries and choose the one they believe best demonstrates fatness and success as a brown bear. The winner of each matchup advances.
The schedule is:
- September 22: First-round voting
- September 23: First-round voting
- September 24: Quarterfinal voting
- September 25: Quarterfinal voting
- September 26: No voting
- September 27: No voting
- September 28: Semifinals
- September 29: Final and championship
Voting takes place through the official Fat Bear Week platform. Explore.org also provides live cameras and bear-related coverage from Brooks River.
Why Fat Matters for Katmai’s Bears
The tournament is built around a real biological process.
Katmai’s brown bears spend much of the summer taking advantage of salmon in and around Brooks River. The fish provide a concentrated food source during a critical period before winter.
Bears enter winter with large fat reserves. During hibernation, they do not eat or drink and can lose roughly one-third of their body weight.
Mother bears face additional demands because they must support cubs. Sub-adults are still growing, while older and larger bears may compete for productive fishing locations.
Fat Bear Week turns those natural changes into a public competition. The visible transformation from early summer to late summer provides the basis for the voting.
What to Watch Before Voting Begins
With voting scheduled to start September 22, fans have time to study the contestants before the first ballots are counted.
The Explore.org bear cams provide a way to observe the animals at Brooks River. Voters can also review individual bear profiles and the before-and-after images used during the competition.
Several matchups deserve particular attention because of the stories surrounding the contestants.
Chunk’s meeting with Bucky Dent is the most prominent adult-male opening-round contest. The family matchups also provide a different perspective because voters are considering mothers and cubs rather than individual adult bears.
The sub-adult matchups offer another contrast. Bears such as 620 and 694 may not display the same physical shape as fully grown males, but their development over the summer can be substantial.
What Happens After the First Round?
The eight first-round winners move into the quarterfinals on September 24 and 25.
Those results determine the four semifinalists competing September 28. The final matchup then takes place September 29.
The 2026 champion will be the final remaining entry after the single-elimination tournament concludes.
As of September 21, no 2026 voting results exist because public voting has not yet opened. The bracket has been announced, but the eventual champion cannot be determined from official results until the tournament begins.
The defending champion is Bear 32, Chunk, after his 2025 victory. This year, however, he must begin his title defense with a first-round matchup against Bucky Dent.
The latest confirmed bracket therefore gives fans a complete roadmap for the competition without providing a result that has not yet happened.
The 2026 Bracket Is Ready for Voting
The 2026 field brings together 16 entries, including family groups, single females, sub-adults and adult males. The tournament also features the return of defending champion Chunk and a first-round meeting with Bucky Dent.
Voting begins September 22, with the championship scheduled for September 29. There will be no voting on September 26 or 27.
For U.S. viewers following the competition online, the official voting schedule begins at noon Eastern on voting days, while Explore.org’s live cameras provide an opportunity to watch the Katmai bears outside the voting periods.
The bracket is set, the contestants have been announced, and the first votes are just ahead.
Keep following the 2026 bracket as each matchup unfolds and the Katmai bears move one step closer to the championship.