Exactly one minute after the clock strikes midnight tonight, participants in the 2026 Florida Python Challenge™ will start their search for invasive Burmese pythons as this year’s python removal competition officially begins! Starting at 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 10, and running until 5 p.m. on Sunday, July 19, competitors in this year’s event will get the chance to win a share of $25,000 in prizes while raising awareness about nonnative species and helping to protect the native Florida wildlife that call the iconic Everglades ecosystem home.

This year’s event, hosted by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the South Florida Water Management District, features Everglades National Park as a partner and one of eight official competition locations. The 2026 Florida Python Challenge also offers an Ultimate Grand Prize of $10,000 for the participant that removes the most pythons during the 10-day competition, with additional prizes up for grabs for the most and longest pythons removed in three different categories, including professional, novice and military.

Interested but not yet registered? You still have time! Registration for this year’s 10-day event is open right up until the last day of the competition on July 19. But a word of advice — don’t delay; invasive Burmese pythons can be challenging to find, and the earlier you register, the more opportunities you have for success. Go to FLPythonChallenge.org to learn more, take the required online training, register, and gain access to optional training and educational resources.

Prizes for the Florida Python Challenge are courtesy of our sponsors and the Fish & Wildlife Foundation of Florida. We thank our Platinum Level Sponsor, Inversa, for donating $10,000 to support conservation efforts in Florida through the Florida Python Challenge. We also thank our four Gold Level Sponsors – Bergeron Everglades Foundation, Mrs. Daphne & Mr. Martin C. Wood III, Edison National Bank/Bank of the Islands, and The Garcia Companies – for their donations of $5,000 each in support of conservation efforts through this event. Our additional sponsors at the Silver Level ($2,000+) – Robin Hanes, Geoffrey and Robbie Roepstorff – and sponsors at the Friends of Wildlife Level ($500+) – Rotary Clubs of Florida – further provide support through the Challenge. More details can be found at FLPythonChallenge.org/Sponsors-Partners.

In addition to the annual Florida Python Challenge, python removal opportunities are available year-round on 32 Commission-managed lands and Burmese pythons may be humanely killed on private lands at any time with landowner permission — no permit or hunting license required. The FWC encourages people to remove and humanely kill invasive pythons from private lands whenever possible.