Image: fl_python_hunt

The Florida Python Challenge will run July 11-20. The Ultimate Grand Prize winner will take home $10,000 for removing the most pythons. (Photo by Patrick K. Campbell)

Register now to participate in The Florida Python Challenge and for a chance to win a share of $25,000 in prizes. During this annual event, competitors scour the Everglades in search of invasive Burmese pythons.

According to myfwc.com, the event, hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District, features an Ultimate Grand Prize of $10,000 for the registered participant who removes the most pythons. For the first time, the Everglades National Park will be one of eight official Florida Python Challenge competition locations.

The Florida Python Challenge runs from July 11-20. Group members must each register as individuals and submit the $25.00 fee.

Before signing up, participants must review the rules, complete the free online course, and pass the quiz with a score of 85 or higher.

“Every Burmese python removed from our iconic Florida Everglades means one less invasive snake negatively impacting our native wildlife,” said FWC Executive Director Roger Young. “This annual event encourages the public to get involved in removing nonnative species while raising awareness worldwide about invasive species and what people can do to help. The Florida Python Challenge is made possible thanks to the continued support from Governor Ron DeSantis and our partners with the South Florida Water Management District and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida.”

“The Python Challenge is a great way to get people directly involved in the protection and stewardship of the Everglades,” said South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member “Alligator Ron” Bergeron. “We continue to advance Everglades restoration efforts thanks to the support of Governor Ron DeSantis, and we’ll keep doing everything we can to protect this important ecosystem. Pythons disrupt the natural food chain and prey on native wildlife that depend on the Everglades. Removing pythons from this ecosystem is critical to the survival of the species that call this area home. The South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission continue to have great success managing these invasive pythons. Long live the Everglades!”

Winners in the professional, novice and military categories will be awarded prizes.

Last year, participants in the 2024 Florida Python Challenge removed 195 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades, resulting in removal of a total of 1,112 pythons cumulatively during all Florida Python Challenge competitions to date. In 2024, 857 people from 33 states and Canada registered for the 10-day competition.