Tom Rahill wins Florida Python Challenge with 96 captures

Tom Rahill won the top $10,000 prize in the 2026 Florida Python Challenge after capturing 96 Burmese pythons during a ten-day event in the Everglades. Rahill, the founder of the Broward County-based organization SwampApes, utilized a strategy of nighttime expeditions and targeted a specific nest where hatchlings were emerging from eggs.

During the competition, Rahm Levinson caught the largest specimen, a python measuring 16 feet and 5 inches. Levinson and Rahill, both members of SwampApes—an initiative that uses python hunting as nature therapy for military veterans and first responders—collaborated to wrangle the massive snake.

The 2026 challenge saw a total of 280 Burmese pythons removed from the Everglades. The competition drew 907 participants from 30 U.S. states, as well as international competitors from Canada and Vietnam.