Fat Bear Week 2026 has commenced
Fat Bear Week 2026 has commenced
Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Kodiak Bears put on fat and fur to prepare for the winter.
This week marks “Fat Bear Week 2026”: an over 10-year running tradition hosted by Katmai National Park in northern Alaska, as documented by the National Park Service (NPS) and Katmai National Park’s official NPS webpage. “Fat Bear Week, which started in 2014, is an annual competition that celebrates the remarkable transformation of Katmai’s brown bears as they feast on salmon and build the fat reserves they need to survive the winter. The bears go head-to-head in a bracket-style tournament, with the public choosing which bear will be crowned Fat Bear Week Champion,” as explained by Katmai National Park. Fat Bear fans—get ready— the winner of Fat Bear Week 2026 “will be crowned Sept. 29,” according to Katmai National Park.
Although the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), currently classifies brown bears at a “least concern” conservation status, meaning their population numbers are not nearing endangerment, outside factors are currently showing up as possible threats to these huge mammals—which can weigh up to 1,500 pounds according to the WWF.
“Alaska[, where these Fat Bears live,] is at the forefront of climate change,” according to the United States Department of Agriculture’s Climate Hub. Climate Hub explains that climate change threatens wildlife and their habitats by harming the natural environment, killing off or endangering species preyed upon for food sources, and bringing the threat of allowing invasive species to move to the area and cause harm.
While Fat Bear Week acts as a fun way for people from all over the United States to converse, learn about, and view the furry mammals, it also gets people talking about and feeling connected to this species which could one day see harm done to its environment due to climate change.
Alaska Public Media detailed a list of the front-runners in this year’s Fat Bear Week. One bear, although “[it is] hard to pick a favorite,” is making real progress towards becoming the 2026 Fat Bear Week champion. The bear’s name: Chunk. Bear lovers are familiar with Chunk already, as he was “last year’s weighty winner.” His size makes him “hard to miss,” Alaska Public Media writer Ava White detailed. While Chunk may seem to be a front-runner based on his success with audiences last year, some of this year’s other bears are also no strangers to the spotlight.
Ava White continued to detail, “Bear 903, known as Gully, is believed to be the son of Grazer, crowned the fattest bear in 2023 and 2024. Backpack, or number 89, is the offspring of 2019 champion Holly.”
Popular Science also published another captivating story from this year’s Fat Bear Week competition. Bear #132 had quite the eventful summer, leading up to this fall’s competition. One of her cubs, as Popular Science reports, became separated from its mama bear, now known as Bear #132. While most bear cubs who get separated from their mothers face grim dangers, such as “attacks from other bears, starvation, and more life-threatening risks,” the bear cub made it back to its mother safely. Popular Science estimates that Bear #132’s familiarity with the surrounding river and environment helped her get to her cub in time, but no matter what the reason they were able to be reunited, the story is capturing hearts of many Fat Bear Week viewers. The Popular Science team reports, “[It has] been speculated that [Bear #132] is a littermate of Bear #128 Grazer, a two-time Fat Bear Week champion (2023 and 2024).”
Interested viewers can cast their “vote for the fattest bear of the year” on explore.org, as per the website. Voting is open from Sept. 22 through Sept. 29, between 12-9 p.m. Eastern time. Also on explore.org, Fat Bear lovers can see a complete list of all previous Fat Bear Week champions.