Fat Bear Week is officially back, and we animal lovers couldn’t be more excited! Not only is this a fun and adorable competition filled with fluff and fur, but it’s also a time for people to see the great outdoors in an unbearably cute way. Below,  everything you need to know about the competition, including which fat bears are competing and how you can watch them out in the wild!

What to know about Fat Bear Week

Fat Bear Week 2025 begins on September 23 and goes until September 30. During that time, people are instructed to pick a brown bear in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and then vote if they think it can survive in the winter. 

“The astonishing salmon runs in Katmai are essential to the survival of the park’s ecosystem and brown bears,” Katmai Park Superintendent Mark Sturm said in a statement. “Fat Bear Week enables people from around the world to actively engage in learning about bears while cheering for their favorite competitor.”

Which bears are competing in 2025? 

The bears competing in Fat Bear Week 2025 have yet to be announced, but you can check for the latest updates here. 

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How to vote in Fat Bear Week 

To vote in Fat Bear Week, all you have to do is visit the website here. From there it’s a “single elimination tournament. For each match-up, vote for the bear you believe best exemplifies fatness and success in brown bears. The bear with the most votes advances to the next round. Only one will be crowned Fat Bear Week champion.”

Now, most voters will be tempted to vote based on how cute the furry creatures are, but according to the website there are other things to consider while you watch the livestream. 

“Although getting fat enough to survive winter hibernation is the goal, success for Katmai National Park’s brown bears can be measured in many ways,” the statement reads. “How did the bears overcome the challenges that they faced this summer? How might their hard work lead to their success next year? How big did they really get?” 

They also shared that “Katmai’s brown bears are fattest in late summer and early fall. It is the result of a summer-long effort to satisfy their profound hunger and prepare for winter hibernation. During hibernation, bears do not eat or drink and lose one-third of their body weight. Their winter survival depends on accumulating ample fat reserves before entering the den.” 

“To get fat, bears gorge on the richest and most accessible foods they can find. In Katmai National Park that often means salmon. Dozens of bears gather at Brooks River to feast on salmon from late June until mid October. Perhaps no other river on Earth offers bears the chance to feed on salmon at one place for so long.”

Voting for Fat Bear Week opens on September 23 and will remain open until September 30. Daily voting is available from 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. EST throughout the competition. 

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Who won Fat Bear Week in 2024? 

Last year a mama bear named 128 Grazer won Fat Bear Week after defeating 32 Chunk, a male bear who killed her cub. The winning bear had over 70,000 votes, and also won the competition in 2023—will she be back for a three-peat? You be the judge!