The winner of the 2024 Story of the Year, along with the $50 prize and enshrinement in the Hall of Fame, is:

My neighbor is the second coming of Jesus Christ by Nina Evans

As Amanda Le Rougetel pointed out in the comments, this story is “so very open to interpretation,” and that is a large part of its effectiveness. The story’s power is drawn from its understatement; it is a gentle letdown, a form of anticlimax that achieves one my personal favourite literary effects, which is to lead the reader into self-examination: the story cannot be interpreted unless the reader simultaneously interprets themself.

Honourable mentions go to Secret Regret by Matthew Eichenlaub and The Monument by Ron Scully.