HUNTERS are on the clock to bag as many members of an invasive species as they can to collect $10,000 cash.

Their target will be a dangerous apex predator capable of devouring whole deer, alligators, and more.

The 2026 Florida Python Challenge began on Friday at 12:01am, tasking hunters with killing as many invasive Burmese pythons as they can by July 19 at 5pm.

Participating hunters are competing for their share of $25,000 in total prizes, including a $10,000 grand prize awarded to whoever bags the most.

Registration for the tournament costs $25, and outdoorsmen must complete a training course that takes about 45 minutes.

Hunters must then pass a quiz on the material from the training course with a score of at least 85%.

Beyond the grand prize, the remaining $15,000 pool is split up among groups of Professional, Novice, and Military hunters.

In each group, the hunter who bags the most pythons will walk away with $2,500, with the outdoorsman who removes the second most earning $1,500.

The third prize is for the longest python in each category, awarding $1,000 to the winning hunter.

But participants will only be able to win one prize each, with the prize they’re awarded being the one of highest value.

Burmese pythons first came to the Florida Everglades around 2000, and have terrorized native wildlife and local ecosystems since.

Their target prey, such as alligators and bobcats that they swallow whole, play important roles in these delicate habitats, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says.

Burmese pythons were introduced to the Everglades through the pet trade and are native to Southern and Southeast Asia.

This includes India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Southern China, in addition to parts of Indonesia.

Source: https://www.the-sun.com/news/16668597/florida-burmese-python-challenge-prizes-rules/