Florida Python Challenge: Hunt giant Burmese pythons and win up to $10,000

Florida’s annual battle against invasive giant snakes is returning this summer as the Florida Python Challenge officially kicks off from July 10 to July 19, 2026. Organised in partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and Everglades National Park, the competition invites the public to help remove invasive Burmese python populations from the Everglades ecosystem.

Participants who catch and humanely euthanise the most snakes can win cash prizes worth up to $10,000. The event has become one of the most unusual wildlife competitions in the US, drawing both professional snake hunters and curious first-time participants from across North America.

What is the Florida Python Challenge?

The Florida Python Challenge is a 10-day conservation competition designed to help reduce python numbers while educating the public about invasive species.

Participants must register online and complete a mandatory training course before entering the competition. Organisers also require hunters to follow strict safety and humane euthanasia guidelines throughout the event.Captured snakes must be taken to official check stations, where they are measured and recorded as part of the competition tally. The challenge has grown into a major annual event, attracting participants from across the US and Canada.

The competition offers several cash prizes for different categories, including the most pythons removed and the longest python captured during the event. The top prize can reach $10,000 for the participant who removes the highest number of snakes over the 10-day challenge.In previous years, some experienced hunters have captured dozens of pythons during the competition. According to organisers, one participant reportedly removed 60 snakes during the 2025 event, while another competitor caught one of the longest snakes recorded in the novice category.

Why Florida is targeting Burmese pythons

Burmese pythons are native to Southeast Asia and were introduced to Florida largely through the exotic pet trade during the 1970s and 1980s. Many owners released the snakes into the wild after they became too large to manage. Florida’s warm, swampy climate proved ideal for the species, allowing the snakes to spread rapidly through the Everglades.Today, researchers estimate that tens of thousands of Burmese pythons may be living across South Florida.

The snakes have become apex predators in the region and are blamed for severe declines in native mammal populations, including raccoons, rabbits and opossums. Scientists say the reptiles are disrupting the Everglades food chain because the ecosystem evolved without giant constrictor snakes.

Why the Everglades are under threat

Everglades National Park is one of the world’s most ecologically important wetland systems and supports a wide variety of wildlife, including endangered species, migratory birds, alligators and the endangered Florida panther.The spread of Burmese pythons has alarmed conservationists because the snakes prey on a wide range of animals and have few natural predators in Florida. Scientific studies have documented dramatic declines in some mammal populations in areas heavily occupied by pythons, with researchers linking the invasive reptiles to major ecological disruption.

Hunting giant snakes is not easy

Despite their enormous size, Burmese pythons are notoriously difficult to spot in the wild.

Their patterned skin provides excellent camouflage against swamp vegetation, muddy waterways and marsh grass across the Everglades.Hunters often spend long nights searching roads, canal edges and remote wetlands for signs of movement. Some of the largest snakes captured during previous challenges measured more than 15 feet long. Officials also warn participants that the Everglades environment itself can be dangerous due to intense heat, mosquitoes, difficult terrain and encounters with native wildlife.Organisers stress that the Python Challenge is a regulated conservation programme rather than an unrestricted hunt. Participants are required to follow rules regarding humane euthanasia methods, animal handling and approved hunting areas.Firearms are restricted in many locations, and hunters must use approved methods to dispatch captured snakes quickly and humanely. Officials say these rules are designed to balance ecological management with animal welfare standards.

Can Florida eliminate the pythons completely?

Wildlife experts generally agree that fully eradicating Burmese pythons from South Florida is unlikely because the species is now deeply established throughout the Everglades ecosystem. Instead, authorities hope that large-scale removal efforts can slow the snakes’ spread and reduce pressure on vulnerable native wildlife populations.Florida also operates year-round python removal programmes involving trained contractors, researchers and wildlife specialists who continue searching for snakes outside the annual competition.

A growing environmental warning

The Burmese python invasion is now widely viewed as one of the clearest examples of how the exotic pet trade can unintentionally create long-term environmental disasters. What began decades ago with released pet snakes has evolved into a major ecological crisis affecting one of America’s most famous wetland ecosystems.For Florida officials and conservationists, the Python Challenge serves both as a population-control effort and as a public reminder of the lasting consequences invasive species can have on native environments.