Registration is now open for a statewide agency-led competition that will return to Florida in July, offering participants a chance to help protect native species by removing invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades and compete for a share of $25,000 in prizes.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission , registration is now open for the 2025 Florida Python Challenge, a 10-day event aimed at raising awareness of nonnative species.
The contest begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday, July 11, and ends at 5 p.m. Sunday, July 20. This year’s challenge will, for the first time, include Everglades National Park as one of eight official competition sites.
Participants must register at FLPythonChallenge.org , complete required training and can find additional resources to plan their trip to South Florida.
“Every Burmese python removed from our iconic Florida Everglades means one less invasive snake negatively impacting our native wildlife,” said FWC Executive Director Roger Young. “This annual event encourages the public to get involved in removing nonnative species while raising awareness worldwide.”
South Florida Water Management District board member Ron Bergeron emphasized the ecological importance of the event. “Pythons disrupt the natural food chain and prey on native wildlife. Removing pythons from this ecosystem is critical to the survival of the species that call this area home,” he said.
Pedro Ramos, superintendent of Everglades National Park, said the park’s inclusion represents another step forward in collaborative conservation. “This event marks another milestone in that collaboration,” he said.
The top prize, $10,000, will go to the individual who removes the most pythons. Additional prizes are available in professional, novice and military categories, funded by sponsors including Inversa, Rotary Clubs of Florida and others.
Last year’s competition drew 857 participants from 33 states and Canada and resulted in the removal of 195 pythons. To date, 1,112 pythons have been removed through the challenge since its inception.
In Florida, pythons may also be humanely killed year-round on private property with landowner permission, and no permit is required.
Burmese pythons, native to Southeast Asia, have become a major threat to South Florida’s ecosystem. Female pythons can lay more than 100 eggs, and over 23,000 have been removed from the state since 2000.
Click here to register for the hunt .
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