Fat Bear Week 2026: Print your bracket and play live-cam bingo

It’s about to get bear-y competitive in Alaska’s Katmai National Park.

Fat Bear Week 2026 is back, and this year you’re not just voting for your favorite chunky champion.

You can fill out a Fat Bear Week bracket, follow the matchups and play live-cam bingo while watching some of Alaska’s biggest brown bears do what they do best: eat.

Get your Fat Bear Week bracket ready

Think March Madness, but make it bears.

Sixteen of the biggest, beefiest brown bears have been selected to compete in this year’s single-elimination Fat Bear Week tournament.

Your job is simple: Look at each head-to-head matchup and vote for the bear that best represents “fatness and success” in preparing for winter hibernation. The matchups can be found over at FatBearWeek.org.

(MORE: Bears can eat 20,000 calories a day to pack on the pounds)

The competition includes mothers with cubs, single females and single males. And yes, last year’s champion, 32, also known as “Chunk,” is back to defend his title.

Fat Bear Week voting runs Sept. 22-29, from noon to 9 p.m. EDT each day.

Print out the bracket, make your picks and see how long your predictions survive.

Watch the bears live and play bingo

Don’t worry about a busted bracket taking you out of the fun.

Katmai National Park has live cameras stationed around the park, including the famous Brooks River, where brown bears feast on salmon to bulk up.

That means you can watch the Fat Bear Week contenders in action and play live-cam bingo while you’re at it.

Print out our bingo card and keep your eyes peeled for the sights and behaviors featured on the board.

Honestly, is there a better way to spend an afternoon than rooting for a bear to get absolutely salmon-stuffed?

So grab your bracket, print your bingo card and get ready to bear witness to the biggest competition of the year.