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Florida is once again placing a price on Burmese pythons: the Florida Python Challenge 2026 will offer a grand prize of $10,000 to the participant who captures the most of these invasive snakes in the Everglades between July 10 and 19. Registration is already open.
The event, organized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), will distribute a total prize pool exceeding 25,000 dollars in three categories: professional, novice, and military.
In each category, $2,500 will be awarded to the one who catches the most pythons, $1,500 to the runner-up, and $1,000 to the one who catches the longest snake.
The grand prize of $10,000 is awarded to the participant with the most catches in total, regardless of category.
The registration fee is 25 non-refundable dollars, and participants must complete a mandatory online training before competing.
In the event of a tie in the number of points, the tie will be broken by the total accumulated length.
The 2025 edition of the challenge brought together 934 participants from 30 states in the United States and Canada, who captured 294 pythons in ten days.
The grand prize went to Taylor Stanberry, with 60 snakes.
In 2024, Ronald Kiger won the $10,000 with just 20 captures, in an edition where 857 people participated and 195 pythons were removed.
The Burmese python (Python bivittatus) is native to Southeast Asia and arrived in Florida mainly through the exotic pet trade.
The first documented sighting in the Everglades dates back to 1979. Hurricane Andrew (1992) is believed to have accelerated its spread by damaging reptile breeding facilities in South Miami, releasing individuals that dispersed throughout the network of canals in South Florida.
Today, the species is established from the south of Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo, and its impact on native wildlife is devastating: raccoon populations have declined by 99.3%, opossum populations by 98.9%, and lynx populations by 87.5% since 1997, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History.
The Conservancy of Southwest Florida has removed over 20 tons of pythons since 2013 in a program area of just 200 square miles, highlighting the magnitude of the problem.
The Florida Python Challenge has existed as an annual initiative of the state since at least 2018 and was originally announced by Governor Ron DeSantis as a conservation tool that combines citizen participation with economic incentives.
"It is a conservation effort aimed at raising awareness about invasive species and helping to protect the unique ecosystems of the Everglades," describes the event organization.
The 2026 competition will kick off at 12:01 a.m. on July 10 and will close at 5:00 p.m. on July 19. Those aspiring for the grand prize can review the rules and register on the official event site.
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