Registration begins for the 2023 Florida Python Challenge

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Registration for the 2023 Florida Python Challenge is now open.

Participants this year will have the chance to win a share of more than $30,000 in prizes while removing invasive Burmese pythons from the wild.

Starting Friday, those interested in participating in the 2023 Florida Python Challenge can complete the required online training to compete in the 10-day competition which runs Aug. 4–13, 2023. The competition is open to both professional and novice participants.

Click here to register for the competition, take the required online training, view the optional training opportunities, learn more about Burmese pythons and the unique Everglades ecosystem, and find resources for planning your trip to South Florida to participate in the Florida Python Challenge.

Participants in the 2022 Florida Python Challenge removed 231 invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades, an increase from the 2021 number and more than double those removed in 2020. Nearly 1,000 people from 32 states, Canada, and Latvia registered to take part in the 10-day competition in 2022.

In addition to python removal opportunities on 25 Commission-managed lands which are available year-round, pythons can be humanely killed on private lands at any time with landowner permission — no permit or hunting license required — and the FWC encourages people to remove and humanely kill pythons from private lands whenever possible.