Florida's biggest annual python hunt starts Friday, July 10, drawing hundreds of people into the Everglades and surrounding public lands to target one of Florida's most damaging invasive animals.
Competitors can claim bragging rights and compete for $25,000 in awards, but officials have told the Naples Daily News that the larger goal is to help defend the Everglades, one of the nation's most important wetland ecosystems.
What's happening?
Beginning July 10, the 2026 Florida Python Challenge will run for 10 days in approved hunting areas extending from western Palm Beach County to the Tamiami Trail in Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area, the paper noted.
Additional hunting areas in the so-called python hunting Super Bowl include Holey Land, Rotenberger, Southern Glades and parts of Everglades National Park.
Both experienced snake hunters and newcomers can enter. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission interagency python management coordinator Kodiak Hengstebeck told the Naples Daily News that 609 people had signed up as of July 7, and previous years have usually surpassed 800 registrations before the event opens.
The financial incentive is substantial as well. The contest includes $25,000 in prize money, and the overall winner receives $10,000 for taking down the most pythons.
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Last year, more than 900 participants joined the challenge, and they set a record by capturing 294 pythons. Taylor Stanberry of Naples won the top prize after removing 60 snakes, becoming the competition's first female grand prize winner.
Why does it matter?
Burmese pythons are an introduced species in Florida, and their growing presence has become a serious problem for the Everglades.
Their role as large predators means they can reduce native wildlife populations and throw off the ecosystem's natural balance.
Hengstebeck told the Naples Daily News that signs of recovery among native species can be hard to measure quickly, but said removing pythons still makes a difference.
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"It's difficult to definitively measure how native species are responding to python management efforts," he said to the outlet. "However, collectively, all python management is useful, as it helps to potentially decrease their population size and limit their spread."
What's being done?
According to the Naples Daily News, the challenge is one piece of a wider effort organized by FWC and the South Florida Water Management District.
The competition began in 2013 and is intended to do more than reduce snake numbers. It also helps officials collect information about python biology and behavior and gives them a way to educate the public about invasive species.
Those who take part must follow strict requirements, as the Naples Daily News laid out. In the novice division, participants must humanely kill a python at the place where it is caught, while only authorized contractors in the professional division are allowed to transport snakes alive.
Participants must turn in carcasses within 24 hours so officials can confirm measurements, collect other data, and ensure humane-killing standards were followed.
Organizers are also emphasizing safety. Hengstebeck warned the Naples Daily News that "Burmese pythons are large, powerful snakes and can be dangerous," and said South Florida's extreme summer heat is another significant hazard.
Hunters are told to bring water, food, gloves, sun protection and appropriate equipment, and to make sure someone knows where they plan to be.
Outside the competition, Florida permits year-round python removal on private property with the landowner's permission and on certain public lands under specific rules.
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