Sixteen bears are vying for votes in Fat Bear Week​ 2026, the highly anticipated contest among the chunkiest bears at the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska.

If you spent your day trying to vote for your favorite chunky bear without any luck, you’re not alone. The biggest Fat Bear Week turnout of all time triggered 404 errors and slow-loading pages for ...

Bear #89 got his very appropriate nickname from his habit of riding his mother’s back through the Brooks River as a cub. That mama bear is Katmai legend and former Fat Bear Week ...

Fat Bear Week is back, and 16 extremely well-fed brown bears are ready to battle for one of the most coveted crowns in the animal kingdom. Katmai National Park and Preserve and Explore.org have ...

Fat Bear Week is scheduled for Sept. 22-29, with the champion expected to be crowned Sept. 29 after a week of fan voting.

Backpack, a 1,000-pound male grizzly, is a bear who would rather chill in his regular spot on the Brooks River than brawl with his neighbors. In 2026, we could all learn something from him.

Alaskan brown bear Backpack overcame a serious leg injury as a cub before becoming a familiar presence at Brooks Falls ...

Fat Bear Week, that turns Alaska's bulkiest bears into internet celebrities, is returning this week to celebrate the bears' pre-hibernation glow-up.

Voting for the annual beloved online showdown resumed Monday after breaking for the weekend. See the four remaining contestants.

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed 2025's Fat Bear Week contestants as participants for this year's bracket. Organizers have not yet announced the contenders for this year ...

Explore.org, the world's leading live nature camera network, and Katmai Conservancy announce the 12th season of Fat Bear Week, taking place September 22-29, 2026. The annual competition puts the ...

The fat bears have landed. Fat Bear Week — a bracket-style, single-elimination tournament where 16 brown bears in Alaska’s Brooks River will compete to be this year’s fattest bear — kicks off tomorrow ...