PHOTO VIA SOUTH FLORIDA WATER MANAGEMENT DISTRICT
Registration is now open for the 2026 Florida Python Challenge (Website), an annual conservation competition aimed at removing invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades. The competition runs from July 10 at 12:01 a.m. through July 19 at 5 p.m. Registered participants will compete for $25,000 in prizes, including a $10,000 Ultimate Grand Prize for the participant who removes the most pythons.
Registration opened May 19 and will remain open through July 19, the last day of the competition. Participants must register at FLPythonChallenge.org and complete the required online training to qualify. You can’t just go out there and start killing snakes, y’all.
Burmese pythons are an invasive species found mostly inside the Everglades ecosystem in South Florida, where they prey heavily on native birds, mammals, and reptiles. A single female Burmese python can lay between 50 and more than 100 eggs at one time, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
In 2025, participants removed a competition record 294 invasive snakes from the Everglades. Since 2000, 27,000 Burmese pythons have been reported as removed from Florida. Across all Florida Python Challenge events to date, 1,406 constrictors have been removed.
The 2025 event drew 934 people from 30 states and Canada.
“Removing Burmese pythons from this ecosystem is critical to the survival of the native species that call this area home,” said South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member “Alligator Ron” Bergeron. “This is a great way for the public to get involved in the protection of the Everglades, and I want to thank everyone who is participating in the 2026 Florida Python Challenge.”
Python removal opportunities remain open year-round across 32 FWC-managed lands. Burmese pythons can also be humanely killed on private land at any time with explicit landowner permission. No state permit or hunting license is required for private land removals.
