EVERGLADES, Fla. (WWSB) – Registration is now open for the 2026 Florida Python Challenge, a 10-day competition aimed at removing invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades ecosystem.
The event begins at 12:01 a.m. July 10 and runs through 5 p.m. July 19.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District are hosting the annual challenge. Registered participants will compete for a share of $25,000 in prizes while helping raise awareness about nonnative species in Florida.
The top prize is $10,000 for the registered participant who removes the most pythons.
Everglades National Park is returning this year as a partner and one of eight official competition locations, according to FWC.
Participants must register and complete required online training at FLPythonChallenge.org. The website also includes information about Burmese pythons, the Everglades ecosystem, optional training opportunities and trip-planning resources.
“We are excited to announce the dates for this year’s Florida Python Challenge, which will be our ninth such event to date,” FWC Executive Director Roger Young said. “We look forward to the Challenge each year as a way to raise awareness about nonnative fish and wildlife, while also encouraging the public to get involved in Everglades conservation by removing invasive Burmese pythons.”
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Prizes will also be awarded in professional, novice and military categories.
Last year, participants removed a competition-record 294 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades. FWC said 1,406 pythons have been removed through all Florida Python Challenge competitions to date.
In 2025, 934 people from 30 states and Canada registered for the event.
Burmese pythons are not native to Florida and negatively affect native wildlife, according to FWC. The agency said the invasive snakes are found mainly in and around the Everglades ecosystem, where they prey on birds, mammals and other reptiles.
FWC said more than 27,000 Burmese pythons have been reported removed from Florida’s environment since 2000.
Outside the competition, Burmese pythons may be humanely killed on private property at any time with landowner permission and without a permit or hunting license, according to FWC. Python removal opportunities also are available year-round on 32 commission-managed lands.
For more information or to register, visit FLPythonChallenge.org.
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