Alaska's Annual 'Fat Bear Week' Competition Begins

Oh lawd, they comin'

Katmai National Park's annual competition of voting for your favorite chubby bear is back and voting has already begun! Which chubby cubby will win the title this year? 

Every Fall, the 'Fat Bear Week' competition takes place and it's a celebration in which the online community compares photos of bears in Spring and those same bears all chubbed up and getting ready for hibernation! The difference between the photos is often very obvious. And while it's a fun competition to take part in, it's truly all about these amazing bears, their survival, and how we're learning from them. 

For those who might consider this to be body shaming, it's actually all about body positivity. A bear needs to bulk up before winter, or else it won't survive. As the U.S. Department of the Interior says, "A fat bear is a healthy bear!" Bears can lose up to a third of their entire body fat as they hibernate. 

You can vote for your favorite chubby cubby here! And follow Katmai National Park on Twitter for all the updates! 


Author image for AmyBrown
Advertisement

For a weekly dose of animal-themed community challenges - Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Can't get enough of ICanHasCheezburger? Find us on Instagram!

Tags

aww competition alaska fat bears cute funny annual animals chubby
Scroll down for the next article

Also From I Can Has Cheezburger?

Trending Now

22 Cat Memes Mood-Boosting You for the Upcoming Workweek

22 Cat Memes Mood-Boosting You for the Upcoming Workweek

01
20 Ridiculously Funny Cat Memes That Are Pure Purrfection and Nothing Less

20 Ridiculously Funny Cat Memes That Are Pure Purrfection and Nothing Less

02
25 Intimate Moments From the Cute Lives of Cats to Warm Your Heart

25 Intimate Moments From the Cute Lives of Cats to Warm Your Heart

03
Unsuspecting cat pawrent heads to work at a vet clinic, but things take a turn when she brings home a smol kitten with fuzzy gremlin energy in need: ‘Her name is Mildred and she runs the place now’

Unsuspecting cat pawrent heads to work at a vet clinic, but things take a turn when she brings home a smol kitten with fuzzy gremlin energy in need: ‘Her name is Mildred and she runs the place now’

04
A Fancy Feast of 22 Feline Feel-Goods to Turn Your Frown Upside Down (May 10, 2025)

A Fancy Feast of 22 Feline Feel-Goods to Turn Your Frown Upside Down (May 10, 2025)

05
'I have gone through over 100 roommates in my lifetime': Entitled purrson expects guests to pay $300 to take care of his cats so he can travel while "struggling financially" is purrfectly unhinged

'I have gone through over 100 roommates in my lifetime': Entitled purrson expects guests to pay $300 to take care of his cats so he can travel while "struggling financially" is purrfectly unhinged

06
Advertisement