The Larry Brown Short Story Award, now in its tenth year, is an annual fiction prize hosted by Pithead Chapel, a journal with a longstanding commitment to narrative craft. The award honors the legacy of Larry Brown, a writer whose unflinching, voice-driven stories of working-class life in the American South have influenced a generation of fiction writers. The guest judge for this cycle is Deesha Philyaw, author of the acclaimed collection The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, whose own work is celebrated for its sharp dialogue, emotional precision, and nuanced portrayal of Black women's lives. Her presence signals a curatorial interest in stories that are character-driven, voice-rich, and unafraid of intimacy or moral complexity. The prize structure includes $500 for first place, $50 each for second and third, and copies of Tiny Love: The Complete Stories by Larry Brown for fourth and fifth. All five winners will be published in the January 2025 issue of Pithead Chapel. The contest runs from August 1 to October 31, with a $10 entry fee per story. Submissions are judged blindly, meaning the guest judge will not see identifying information; the writer's name and contact details should appear only in the cover letter. Stories must be under 4,000 words and previously unpublished. AI-generated work is explicitly disallowed. Simultaneous submissions are permitted, provided the journal is notified promptly if the story is accepted elsewhere. This award is not a broad call for any fiction; it is a focused invitation to writers who understand that the short story is a demanding form. Pithead Chapel's editorial history suggests a preference for narratives that are grounded, resonant, and structurally deliberate—stories that earn their endings. The blind judging process reinforces the meritocratic intent: the work must stand on its own. For writers, the prize offers both a meaningful financial acknowledgment and a publication credit in a journal that has consistently championed literary fiction with a distinct point of view.