Tom Rahill, a resident of Tampa, was crowned champion of the Florida Python Challenge 2026 after capturing 96 invasive Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park, allowing him to take home the grand prize of $10,000 in the annual competition organized by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
The FWC announced the results on Wednesday, following the conclusion of the ten-day challenge held from July 10 to 19 in eight authorized areas of South Florida.
In total, 907 participants from 30 states, along with competitors from Canada and Vietnam, collectively removed 280 Burmese pythons from the ecosystem.
Florida Python Challenge 2026
A feat after undergoing surgery
What makes Rahill's victory even more remarkable is that it came shortly after he underwent surgery on both hips.
The winner recounted how he found a nest in the midst of hatching while moving through the sharp grass of the Everglades
"I started clearing the area, moving back and forth through the grass, and I came across the nest. This is the nesting season, the hatching season for the pythons. If you find a nest, you have a good chance of finding the hatchlings. And in this particular case, they were hatching. It was like a jellyfish party."
Rahill also described a night expedition alongside a veteran:
"On electric bicycles, we traveled about nine miles on an old abandoned road in the darkness of the night and stumbled upon a huge python that was right outside the jungle on that old path."
Swamp Apes: Pitons in Service of the Veterans
Rahill is the founder of Swamp Apes, a nonprofit organization that takes military veterans and first responders to the Everglades to catch pythons as a form of nature therapy.
The winner confirmed that he will allocate the prize money to his organization and to celebrate his 45th wedding anniversary with his wife.
The other winners by category
In the professional category, Christina Kraus took home $2,500 by capturing 36 pythons, while Taylor Stanberry -winner of the challenge in 2025- finished in second place with 34 specimens.
The longest python of the event, measuring 16 feet and five inches, was captured by Rahm Levinson in Everglades National Park.
Among the rookies, Bart Shreve led with nine points ($2,500).
In the military category, soldier Stephen Payton of the U.S. Army captured three pythons to take home $2,500.
Jeffery "Heath" Roser won the award for the longest python, measuring eight feet and seven inches.
The total amount distributed in prizes exceeded $25,000.
A battle that has been going on for decades
Burmese pythons are an invasive species native to Southeast Asia that arrived in Florida mainly through the exotic pet trade.
Without natural predators, they reproduce unchecked—laying between 50 and 100 eggs per clutch—and have devastated populations of medium-sized mammals in the Everglades.
Every year, authorities from the FWC offer $10,000 for capturing pythons as part of their strategy to combat an invasion that has already spread to the Charlotte County, in the southwestern part of the state.
The president of the FWC, Rodney Barreto, highlighted the progress:
"The number of invasive pythons removed from the Everglades during the Florida Python Challenge 2026 is a significant victory for Florida's native wildlife and a testament to what can be achieved through strong partnerships and public involvement. With over 1,600 pythons removed through challenge events to date and more than 19,000 removed by contractors since 2017, these collective efforts continue to reduce the threat that Burmese pythons pose to Florida's native ecosystems."
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