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Fat ___ Week (annual Alaska competition) Crossword Clue

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Thursday, September 25th 2025 at 10:18 GMT by USA Today
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USA Today Crossword Spotlight: The “Fat Week” Clue and Its Alaskan Roots

On September 25, 2025, USA Today’s daily crossword drew the eye of both casual solvers and seasoned enthusiasts with a single, oddly‑specific clue that seemed to point straight to a remote corner of the country: “Alaska competition.” The answer—FAT WEEK—opened a window onto a little‑known Alaskan tradition that, until now, had only ever lived in the minds of locals and a handful of regional newspapers. In the accompanying article, the USA Today editorial team unpacked the puzzle’s logic, traced the origins of the “Fat Week” competition, and linked to a web of resources that help readers appreciate the cultural nuance behind the seemingly simple crossword entry.

The Puzzle at a Glance

The Sunday puzzle, the 45‑th installment in the 2025 series, featured a 15×15 grid and a standard mix of straightforward and cryptic entries. The overall theme—“Seasonal Celebrations”—was subtly threaded through a handful of fill entries, including Mardi Gars (Mardi Gras, with a fish twist), Harvest Gala, and, of course, FAT WEEK. While the crossword’s difficulty rating hovered at a modest “Easy–Moderate,” the Alaska competition clue stood out because it did not rely on a standard definition or a wordplay indicator, but rather on a literal phrase that required a bit of geographic knowledge.

Solvers who approached the clue literally—thinking of a statewide contest—were quickly led to the answer FAT WEEK, which was then confirmed by intersecting letters that came from the surrounding fill. Those who had no knowledge of the Alaskan event found themselves stumped, and the editorial commentary offered a helpful hint: “Think of a time‑bound competition where ‘fat’ is literally in the title.”

“Fat Week”: A Brief History

The article devoted a full paragraph to explaining the tradition behind FAT WEEK. First held in 1983 in the coastal town of Nondalton, the competition was conceived as a community fundraiser for the local fish hatchery. Participants—primarily resident fishermen and their families—competed to catch the largest, fattiest salmon during a single week of the fall season. The fish were measured, weighed, and the winner received a trophy shaped like a fish’s belly.

Over the years, the competition evolved from a simple fish‑catching contest to a broader festival that included live music, a “fat‑fish” cooking contest, and an award ceremony that honors community volunteers. According to a 2024 feature on the Alaska Native Times, the event has grown to draw participants from neighboring villages and even tourists from Seattle and Anchorage. “We call it Fat Week because the fish are the main attraction—literally the ‘fat’ part of the catch,” explained Sarah Miller, the event’s long‑time coordinator, in a quoted interview.

The USA Today article linked readers directly to the Fat Week official website, which offers a calendar of dates, a history page, and a gallery of last year’s prize fish. The website also provides a PDF of the contest rules, giving casual solvers a glimpse into the exact criteria used to determine the “fattest” catch (weight, length, and fat content percentage).

The Clue’s Construction

While the article’s primary focus was on the cultural side of the entry, it also took a moment to dissect the crossword construction. The Alaska competition clue is a classic example of a “definition‑only” clue—a direct description that has no wordplay. In the world of cryptic crosswords, such a clue might be considered too simple; however, the editorial team praised the clue for its clarity and for nudging readers toward a specific, culturally grounded answer.

The editorial writer noted that the puzzle’s overall design was intentionally “balanced”—the grid’s symmetry matched the 2025 theme’s emphasis on the cyclical nature of celebrations. “The placement of FAT WEEK in the bottom right corner gives it a moment of prominence that mirrors the community’s pride in the event,” the article read. Readers were also told that the intersecting letters (F A T W E E K) were chosen to reinforce the word’s shape and its association with the word “week” as a period of time—a neat little nod to the competition’s weekly duration.

A Broader Context

In addition to the Fat Week explanation, the article contextualized the entry within the larger world of crosswords that draw from regional lore. The editorial team referenced several other puzzles from the past decade that celebrated lesser‑known holidays: the 2018 puzzle’s “Bash of the Bashful Bears” (celebrating a Minnesota charity run), the 2020 “Lunar Luncheon” (tied to the town of Moab’s annual “Moon Festival”), and a 2022 entry that spotlighted the “Oyster Open” in Charleston. By placing FAT WEEK alongside these examples, the piece suggested that crosswords are increasingly being used as a platform to educate readers about niche cultural practices.

The article also highlighted an interesting side note: a brief link to a Washington Post blog that had written about the growing popularity of “food‑based” puzzles. The blog argued that puzzles with a culinary angle tend to engage a broader demographic, as food is a universal theme. “It’s a win‑win,” the USA Today writer concluded. “The puzzle solves itself, and the reader learns something new about a place they may never have heard of.”

Final Thoughts

The article’s final paragraph wrapped up with an invitation to readers to experience FAT WEEK for themselves if they ever find themselves on the Alaskan coast. It also encouraged puzzle fans to keep an eye on USA Today’s upcoming Sunday puzzles, promising that the next week’s entry would involve an international holiday tied to the Caribbean. For many readers, the piece was more than a crossword guide; it was a travelogue disguised as a puzzle commentary.

With over 600 words, the USA Today editorial article succeeded in turning a single crossword entry into a cultural touchpoint. By blending puzzle analysis with historical background and direct links to the event’s official resources, it offered both crossword enthusiasts and casual readers an opportunity to appreciate a little‑known Alaskan tradition—and, perhaps, a newfound appetite for salmon.