Fat Bear Week 2026 is set to return to Katmai National Park in Alaska, with public voting scheduled for September 22 through September 29 and the championship planned for September 29. The annual online competition will once again spotlight brown bears along the Brooks River as they build fat reserves ahead of winter. The National Park Service says there are more cubs at Brooks Camp this year than have been seen in a long time, adding a new dimension to this year’s event.
The 2026 competition will be the 12th annual edition of the popular tournament. The National Park Service, Explore.org and the Katmai Conservancy are partnering on the event. The public will select bears through a single-elimination tournament, with the bear receiving the most votes in each matchup advancing to the next round.
The official bracket is being revealed on September 18. Because the tournament field is finalized around the bracket announcement, unconfirmed names should not be treated as official 2026 contestants.
When Is Fat Bear Week 2026?
The 2026 competition runs from September 22 through September 29.
Voting will be available during the published voting window from noon to 9 p.m. Eastern time, or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Pacific time. Alaska viewers can participate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Alaska time.
There will be no voting during the weekend of September 26 and 27. Voting resumes September 28 before the championship matchup on September 29.
The main schedule is:
- September 18: 2026 bracket and contestant reveal
- September 22: Tournament voting begins
- September 23: Second day of voting
- September 24: Third day of voting
- September 25: Fourth day of voting
- September 26-27: No voting
- September 28: Semifinal voting
- September 29: Final matchup and championship
Explore.org’s official schedule also lists educational programs, ranger discussions and live events around the competition.
What Is Fat Bear Week?
Fat Bear Week is an annual online tournament featuring brown bears from Katmai National Park’s Brooks River.
The concept centers on an important part of the bears’ natural life cycle. Brown bears spend much of the summer feeding heavily so they can enter winter with substantial fat reserves.
At Brooks River, salmon provide an especially important food source. Bears take advantage of the seasonal abundance as they prepare for the months ahead.
The competition uses side-by-side images and information about individual bears to give voters a way to compare their summer progress. The decision is not simply about which bear appears largest. Explore.org explains that voters can also consider each bear’s life history, adaptability, fishing success and challenges during the season.
That makes the contest both a public wildlife event and an educational look at brown bear survival.
Why Katmai’s Bears Get So Fat
Late summer and early fall are important feeding periods for Katmai’s brown bears.
The bears consume large quantities of food while salmon are available in the Brooks River system. The resulting fat reserves help them survive winter when they spend extended periods in dens without eating.
Explore.org notes that bears can lose about one-third of their body weight during hibernation. Building sufficient reserves before entering the den is therefore critical to survival.
The importance of fat also differs between individual bears.
Mother bears must accumulate enough reserves to survive hibernation while eventually giving birth and nursing cubs. Older bears face competition from younger animals for productive fishing areas. Large males may also need substantial reserves while maintaining their position in the social hierarchy.
Cubs and younger bears face a different challenge. They need to grow while learning the skills required to survive independently.
Fat Bear Week highlights those different survival stories rather than treating every bear as identical.
Katmai National Park Is at the Center of the Competition
Katmai National Park and Preserve provides the setting for the bears featured in the tournament.
Brooks River is particularly important because salmon gather there seasonally, creating an unusually productive feeding environment for brown bears. Dozens of bears can use the river during the salmon runs.
The park protects extensive brown bear habitat, and the animals are part of a larger ecosystem involving salmon and other wildlife.
The National Park Service describes salmon as a keystone species within this ecosystem. Their abundance affects the bears and many other parts of the surrounding environment.
The remoteness of Katmai also helps explain why the online competition has become such an important way for people outside Alaska to experience the park’s wildlife.
Most Fat Bear Week followers will never stand beside Brooks River. Instead, they can watch live bear cameras and follow individual bears throughout the season.
More Cubs Are a Major 2026 Story
One of the most notable developments heading into the 2026 tournament is the number of cubs seen around Brooks Camp.
Katmai Superintendent Mark Sturm said there are more cubs at Brooks Camp this year than have been seen in a long time. He described the situation as the emergence of a new generation of fat bears.
The increase in young bears adds another layer to this year’s competition.
Adult bears remain central to the tournament, but cubs and younger animals demonstrate how successful feeding seasons can influence the next generation. Explore.org also emphasizes that younger bears can grow proportionally faster than large adults as they develop.
The large number of cubs also gives viewers more opportunities to observe family groups and the different strategies mother bears use while raising young.
What Happened to Chunk After Winning in 2025?
Bear 32, known as Chunk, won the 2025 Fat Bear Week championship.
More than 1.7 million votes were cast from more than 100 countries during the 2025 competition. Chunk defeated Bear 856 in the championship matchup.
Chunk became particularly notable because he entered the 2025 season with a broken jaw. Explore.org documented how the large male adapted his behavior and continued feeding despite the injury.
The bear returned to view on Explore.org cameras in September 2026, renewing interest in whether he could appear in this year’s competition.
However, Chunk’s participation in the 2026 tournament should not be assumed until the official contestant list is confirmed.
The same caution applies to other familiar bears from previous competitions. A bear appearing in a previous Fat Bear Week does not automatically mean that bear has been selected for the 2026 bracket.
Which Bears Are in Fat Bear Week 2026?
The official 2026 contestant field is being introduced through the September 18 bracket reveal.
Before that reveal, Explore.org’s public “Meet the Bears” page continued to identify its displayed profiles as the 2025 Fat Bears. That means older lists circulating online should not automatically be presented as the official 2026 lineup.
Some well-known Katmai bears have appeared in recent tournaments, including Chunk, Grazer and 856. But their previous appearances do not establish participation in the 2026 competition.
This distinction is important because an earlier USA Today report required a correction after 2025 contestants were incorrectly presented as participants in the 2026 field.
For readers following the tournament, the official bracket announcement is therefore the most reliable point for confirming the actual contestants.
How to Vote in Fat Bear Week 2026
Voting is conducted online through FatBearWeek.org.
During each matchup, voters select the bear they believe best demonstrates the combination of fatness and success associated with preparation for winter.
The tournament follows a single-elimination format. The bear receiving the most votes advances while the other contestant is eliminated.
Explore.org says the poll allows one vote per email address for each matchup. Voters select a bear, enter their email when prompted and submit the ballot.
The process is designed to let people around the world participate without traveling to Alaska.
The official voting window is September 22 through September 29, with no voting on September 26 or September 27.
How to Watch the Bears Before Voting
People do not need to wait for the first voting day to start following the bears.
Explore.org operates live cameras at Katmai, allowing viewers to observe brown bears at Brooks River. The cameras provide a way to see feeding behavior and individual bears before the tournament begins.
The live cameras are particularly useful because Fat Bear Week is based partly on the bears’ seasonal transformation.
Viewers can watch how bears behave during the salmon run and become familiar with their appearance and habits. That information can provide context once the official bracket is released.
Explore.org and Katmai also schedule live discussions involving naturalists and park personnel during the event.
Why the Salmon Run Matters
The connection between salmon and Fat Bear Week is central to understanding the competition.
Katmai’s brown bears take advantage of salmon as one of their most important seasonal food sources. Bears gather along the Brooks River when fish are available, creating the conditions that allow them to accumulate substantial energy reserves.
The salmon also support a much larger ecosystem.
Explore.org describes Katmai and the surrounding Bristol Bay region as an area with major sockeye salmon runs. The health of those fish populations affects bears and other wildlife throughout the region.
As a result, the familiar images of oversized bears catching salmon represent more than an internet spectacle. They also illustrate the relationship between a healthy food supply and wildlife survival.
Fat Bear Week’s Growth Since 2014
Fat Bear Week began in 2014 as a much smaller event.
The original idea came from comparing photographs of bears early and late in the summer. The dramatic changes in the animals provided a simple way to show how much effort bears put into preparing for winter.
The first event was called Fat Bear Tuesday and used Facebook voting.
The concept expanded as interest grew and became a week-long online tournament. Explore.org’s live cameras helped viewers follow individual bears throughout the season, giving the public a closer look at their behavior.
The event now attracts an international audience.
More than 1.7 million votes were recorded in 2025, with participation from more than 100 countries.
What to Expect From the 2026 Competition
The 2026 tournament is expected to continue the format that has made the event recognizable worldwide.
The public will compare bears in individual matchups, vote online and follow the bracket as contestants are eliminated.
This year’s unusually high number of cubs could also make family groups a particularly visible part of the event.
The return of Chunk to the live cameras adds another storyline, although his place in the 2026 bracket must be confirmed by the official contestant announcement.
The competition will ultimately end with two bears facing one another in the September 29 championship matchup.
Fat Bear Week 2026: Key Facts
| Detail | 2026 Information |
|---|---|
| Location | Brooks River, Katmai National Park, Alaska |
| Tournament dates | September 22-29, 2026 |
| Bracket reveal | September 18, 2026 |
| Voting | September 22-29 |
| Weekend voting | No voting September 26-27 |
| Semifinals | September 28 |
| Championship | September 29 |
| Voting location | FatBearWeek.org |
| Format | Single elimination |
| 2025 champion | Bear 32, “Chunk” |
| 2025 votes | More than 1.7 million |
| International participation | More than 100 countries |
The Latest Outlook for Fat Bear Week 2026
The biggest confirmed developments heading into the competition are the September 22 start date, the September 29 championship, the unusually large number of cubs reported around Brooks Camp and the return of 2025 champion Chunk to the live cameras.
The official contestant bracket is the key remaining piece for fans to confirm. Until the 2026 field is formally published, lists based on previous tournaments should be treated carefully.
For U.S. viewers, the tournament offers an easy way to follow one of Alaska’s most recognizable wildlife events from home. The live cameras provide access to the bears, while the voting bracket turns their seasonal preparation into a worldwide competition.
Fat Bear Week also keeps attention on the natural conditions that make the spectacle possible. The bears’ impressive size comes from months of feeding, and the salmon run remains at the heart of that process.
As the 2026 bracket takes shape, the bears of Katmai are ready for another season of salmon, survival and worldwide attention—stay tuned and share which bear catches your eye.