New Winner Declared Initial First-Place Entry Is Ruled Ineligible

The poetry winner of The Spokesman-Review’s youth Outdoor writing contest published in last Sunday’s Outdoor & Travel section has been disqualified after contest judges were alerted to similarities between the winning poem and a rock song.

The 12-line poem “Fence Post,” by Desire McGinn included five lines from the song “Kody,” by the group Matchbox 20.

McGinn said she did not intentionally take the words from the song.

In discussions with McGinn and her teacher at Mead High School, the judges learned how the lines could have worked their way into the poem through classroom peer editing.

Students at Mead and other schools are encouraged to present their work to classmates for advice and suggestions. Then the poem or story is refined and rewritten one or more times.

In this case, some of the lines from “Kody” apparently filtered into the poem through the peer editing.

The judges accept that explanation, but all involved recognize the poem cannot be eligible.

Bethany Luck, a senior at Mead, has been named the winner of the contest and the $100 first-place prize.

Luck’s story, “His Mountain,” was the first runner-up in the original contest judging. Her story also was published last Sunday.

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