Veteran hunter Tom Rahill captured 96 Burmese pythons in Everglades National Park to win the $10,000 grand prize in the 2026 Florida Python Challenge. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced the win on August 5, 2026. The 10-day event ran from July 10 through July 19, drawing 907 participants from 30 states, Canada, and Vietnam. Competitors collectively removed 280 invasive pythons across South Florida, with Rahill accounting for more than one-third of the total catch.
Details of the 2026 Competition and Grand Prize
The annual competition engages the public in Everglades conservation while raising awareness about the severe ecological threat posed by invasive species. Everglades National Park was reopened as one of eight designated hunting sites this year. It joined the Big Cypress, Francis S. Taylor, Frog Pond, Holey Land, Rocky Glades, Rotenberger, and Southern Glades management areas.
Tom Rahill accomplished this feat despite recovering from hip surgery. He founded the nonprofit Swamp Apes to support veterans and first responders, and he credited teamwork and intense field work for his success. During the challenge, he also helped a veteran capture a massive 17-foot-long python.
“I was on a mission to get one of our veterans a big snake. I did it. And we wrestled this thing… The veteran was just over the moon,” Rahill said.
Official 2026 Florida Python Challenge Winners
State wildlife officials announced category winners across professional, novice, and military divisions alongside the grand prize:
- Ultimate Grand Prize ($10,000): Tom Rahill – 96 pythons
- Professional – Most Pythons ($2,500): Christina Kraus – 36 pythons
- Professional – Runner-Up ($1,500): Taylor Stanberry – 34 pythons
- Professional – Longest Python ($1,000): Rahm Levinson – 16 feet, 5 inches
- Novice – Most Pythons ($2,500): Bart Shreve – 9 pythons
- Novice – Runner-Up ($1,500): Michael Marousky – 4 pythons
- Novice – Longest Python ($1,000): Vincent Poole – 8 feet, 2 inches
- Military – Most Pythons ($2,500): Stephen Payton (U.S. Army) – 3 pythons
- Military – Runner-Up ($1,500): Jonathan Miller (U.S. Air Force) – 2 pythons
- Military – Longest Python ($1,000): Jeffery “Heath” Roser (U.S. Army) – 8 feet, 7 inches
The Ecological Impact of Burmese Pythons in Florida
Burmese pythons are not native to Florida. They began proliferating in the Everglades after their accidental introduction during the 1970s. Without natural predators to check their growth, the invasive snakes expanded rapidly and decimated local populations of mammals, birds, and other reptiles. Conservationists estimate that between 100,000 and 300,000 pythons currently inhabit the region.
Adult pythons frequently reach lengths of 13 feet or more, and females can lay between 50 and 100 eggs at a single time. State leaders emphasized that public events like the Python Challenge play a crucial role in curbing the population.
“The number of invasive pythons removed from the Everglades during the 2026 Florida Python Challenge is a major victory for Florida’s native wildlife and a to what can be accomplished through strong partnerships and public participation,” said FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto.
Since 2017, more than 1,600 pythons have been removed through official Florida Python Challenge events. Combined with year-round removal efforts by FWC and South Florida Water Management District contractors, more than 19,000 invasive pythons have been cleared from the state’s delicate ecosystems.
How the Public Can Help
State wildlife agencies encourage residents and visitors to remain vigilant and report any sightings of Burmese pythons or other nonnative species. Sightings can be submitted via the FWC’s Invasive Species Hotline at 888-IVE-GOT1 (888-483-4681), online at IveGot1.org, or through the free IveGot1 smartphone application. Year-round python removal opportunities are also permitted on 32 Commission-managed lands and private properties with landowner permission.
