You can win $10K hunting pythons in Florida

This year's Florida Python Challenge has a top prize of $10,000
The 10-day competition runs from Aug. 9 to Aug. 18
Last year, competitors removed 209 Burmese pythons from the Everglades

Updated: Jul 31, 2024 / 05:06 PM CDT

A Burmese python sits in the grass at Everglades Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on April 25, 2019. – Along with the venomous lionfish, the Burmese python is perhaps the least welcome invasive species in Florida: lacking any natural predators, it has happily chomped its way through the state’s wildlife. Native to Southeast Asia, the Burmese pythons have become a plague in Florida. (Photo by RHONA WISE / AFP) (Photo by RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty Images)

(NewsNation) — The Florida Everglades is teeming with invasive snakes, and you could win $10,000 helping remove them.

That’s the grand prize in this year’s Florida Python Challenge, an annual event where the state pays hunters to catch Burmese pythons. From Aug. 9 to Aug. 18, participants will remove as many pythons as they can.

Hunters aren’t allowed to use firearms, dogs or drones, according to the rules. Once captured, competitors take their python carcasses to a check station where they’re measured and weighed. Cash prizes are spread across several categories and go to those who collect the most, and longest, pythons.

Burmese pythons are native to southeast Asia and among the largest snakes in the world. With few predators, they pose a threat to South Florida’s ecosystem. They’re not venomous, but they do prey on local wildlife and damage local fisheries.

The typical Burmese python in Florida is between 6 and 9 feet long but can be much bigger. The longest ever caught in the state measured 18 feet.

This year’s 10-day hunt will take place across seven locations in the Everglades. It’s open to both professionals and novices.

There’s a $25 entry fee to participate, and snake catchers have to pass an online quiz before registering.

Last year, NewsNation accompanied a python-catching team as they ventured into the Everglades. Within an hour, they had already made their first catch. As one of the snake’s only predators, hunters have been crucial in addressing the region’s python problem.

In 2023, 1,050 hunters from dozens of states removed 209 Burmese pythons as part of the competition. In total, 917 pythons have been removed thanks to the annual event.