The 2025 Florida Python Challenge ended on July 20, but the final chapter of this year's 10-day hunt has yet to be written.
According the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), who "co-hosts" the annual python challenge with the South Florida Water Management District, it will be several weeks before the winners are announced and other data is verified and made available.
A grand prize of $10,000 will be award to the hunter who captured the most pythons.
More: Florida python hunter describes python bite: 'Like a mouthful of hypodermic needles'
What we do know is more than 900 hunters competed for the $25,000 in prize money. This year's competition started at 12:01 a.m. on July 11 at eight competition locations. FWC spokesperson Lisa Thompson said there were 933 total registered participants coming from two countries (U.S. and Canada). That was up from 857 participants in 2025.
Crystal Vander Weit, a photojournalist with tcpalm.com, had the opportunity to follow and document the efforts of South Florid Water Management District contract python hunter Kris Bartish on July 19.
Vander Weit took photos and videos of Bartish as Bartish searched and eventually found the invasive snake. It's a unique perspective of a hunter in the wild dealing with the elements and other challenges that come with wrangling a python − and eventually killing the snake humanly.
Photo gallery: Hunter documented during 2025 Florida Python Challenge
How serious is the python problem in Florida?
Burmese pythons have wrought destruction in the Florida Everglades. They've contributed to the decline of small mammals including raccoons, opossums, bobcats, foxes, marsh rabbits and cottontail rabbits.
A recent study revealed that Burmese pythons can eat prey much larger than previously reported. Scientists observed a Burmese python swallowing a 77-pound white-tailed deer, nearly 70 percent of the snake’s mass.
What is the Florida Python Challenge?
The Florida Python Challenge is a ten-day competition encouraging participants to remove Burmese pythons from seven Commission-managed lands in South Florida.
According to FWC, the event is held to raise public awareness about invasive species in Florida, like Burmese pythons, that are a threat to the Everglades ecosystem.
Where was the 2025 Florida Python Challenge held?
The Florida Python Challenge took place at these eight competition locations:
Southern Glades Wildlife and Environmental Area
Big Cypress Wildlife Management Area
Everglades and Francis S. Taylor Wildlife Management Area
Frog Pond North Public Small Game Hunting Area
Holey Land Wildlife Management Area
Rocky Glades Public Small Game Hunting Area
Rotenberger Wildlife Management Area
Florida Python Challenge 2025 prizes
Along with the$10,000 top prize for the most pythons caught, this is the breakdown by category:
Professional Category
Most Pythons Professional Category $2,500
Most Pythons Professional Category Runner Up $1,500
Longest Python Professional Category $1,000
Novice Category
Longest Python Novice Category $1,000
Most Pythons Novice Category $2,500
Most Pythons Novice Category Runner Up $1,500
Military Category
Most Pythons Military Category $2,500
Most Pythons Military Category Runner Up $1,500
Longest Python Military Category $1,000
Burmese pythons in Florida must be humanely killed
If you catch a Burmese python in Florida, you must humanely kill the snake where it was captured. Transporting live pythons is not allowed.
Two steps must be completed to kill a python humanely:
Step 2- Destroy the brain: Immediately and substantially destroy the python’s brain by manually “pithing” which prevents the python from regaining consciousness.
Step 1 - Target the brain: The application of the tool should immediately result in the python losing consciousness.
Draw an imaginary line between each eye and opposite jawbone.
How many Burmese pythons are in Florida?
"Burmese pythons are hard to find due to their cryptic coloration and secretive behaviors, and their low detection probability is a major challenge to effective python control and research," according to Florida Fish and Wildlife.
However, conservative estimates by the USGS put the Burmese python population in the Florida Everglades region in the tens of thousands.
Can Burmese pythons ever be removed from Florida?
Because Burmese pythons are distributed across more than a thousand square miles of southern Florida, including all of Everglades National Park and across the southern coast, the chances of completely eliminating the snake from Florida is low.
Controlling their numbers and preventing their spread out of the area are critical goals for conservation efforts and land managers, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The brain is located where the two lines intersect.
Apply the tool to the target area (brain) to achieve an immediate loss of consciousness.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Who won the 2025 Florida Python Challenge?
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