Florida Python Challenge begins July 10 with $25,000 in prizes

m. m. on July 19. Registered participants can win more than $25,000 in prizes for capturing and killing Burmese pythons at designated sites. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission organizes the event to reduce the population of non-native snakes in the Everglades ecosystem.

Burmese pythons prey on birds, mammals, and reptiles native to the region.

Event details and rules Participants must complete online training, carry registration confirmation, and submit python carcasses to a check station within 24 hours. Firearms and dogs are prohibited; air guns and captive bolts are permitted. Only pythons taken from the eight official competition locations count toward prizes. Live transport of captured snakes is not allowed.

Past results and locations In 2025, 934 people from 30 states and Canada removed 294 pythons during the 10-day contest. The event returns to Everglades National Park as one of the eight official sites. The longest Burmese python recorded in Florida measured more than 19 feet in July 2023. The heaviest weighed 215 pounds and was captured in 2021.

Reporting sightings Anyone who sees a Burmese python outside the contest can photograph the snake, note the location, and call the Exotic Species Hotline at 888-483-4681. Landowners may humanely euthanize pythons on private property without a permit.