Florida Python Challenge 2025: When is it, where is it, prize money. What to know
Good luck finding pythons, the invasive species that has been slithering around the Everglades for years and destroying the ecosystem.
But just because pythons are difficult to find doesn't stop hunters from looking for them with hopes of putting a small dent in the population.
The annual Florida Python Challenge is a big part of the effort to combat these unwelcome snakes. On May 15, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District announced the dates for the 2025 Challenge.
Here are six things to know about the Florida Python Challenge:
It begins at 12:01 a.m. on July 11, 2025 and it ends at 5 p.m. on July 20, 2025. This is earlier than in the past when the Challenge has been held in August.
Registration is now open.
Participants will remove pythons from seven commission-managed lands in South Florida. New this year: Everglades National Park has been added as an eighth competition location.
For the 2024 Challenge there was $25,000 in prizes up for grabs. According to the FWC, the top prize of $10,000 goes to the person who catches the most pythons. Ronald Kiger won the grand prize in 2024. Kiger removed a total of 20 pythons.
The Florida Python Challenge is a 10-day competition created by FWC to encourage participants to remove pythons large, nonvenomous constrictor snakes that are an invasive species in Florida.
Burmese pythons were introduced to Florida via the pet trade and are now well established in the Everglades, where the snake represents a threat to the ecosystem.
The competition also serves as a conservation effort to raise awareness about the python's impacts on local ecology and to encourage the public to continuously remove the snake from the wild. Along with the FWC the Challenge is supported by the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and Gov. Ron DeSantis.
A total of 195 pythons were removed, which was 14 fewer than 2023. There were also fewer participants last year compared to 2023.
There were 857 competitors, including two from Canada, who participated in the 2024 Challenge. More than 1,000 participated in 2023.
Python carcasses must be kept chilled or frozen, then turned into the nearest Florida Python Challenge check station within 24 hours of capture.
Participants must carry a printed or digital copy of their Florida Python Challenge registration notification email while hunting.
Participants must complete required online training and receive a unique completion code.
Only Burmese pythons removed from competition locations are valid entries.
The use of firearms is prohibited during the competition.
The use of dogs or other animals to search, capture, or kill is prohibited.
Air guns and captive bolts are allowed.
'The Python Challenge is a great way to get people directly involved in the protection and stewardship of the Everglades,' said South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member 'Alligator Ron' Bergeron. 'We continue to advance Everglades restoration efforts thanks to the support of Governor Ron DeSantis, and we'll keep doing everything we can to protect this important ecosystem. Pythons disrupt the natural food chain and prey on native wildlife that depend on the Everglades. Removing pythons from this ecosystem is critical to the survival of the species that call this area home. The South Florida Water Management District and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission continue to have great success managing these invasive pythons. Long live the Everglades!'
'We're excited to join our partners in the State of Florida for this year's Florida Python Challenge,' saidPedro Ramos, superintendent of Everglades National Park, who oversees the South Florida National Parks and Preserve. 'For years, we've worked alongside the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the South Florida Water Management District, and others to manage pythons and other invasive species while educating the public about their impact on the Everglades. This event marks another milestone in that collaboration as we include Everglades National Park in the Challenge.'
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FWC 2025 Florida Python snake hunt dates announced, prize money
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