The World Academy of Arts, Literature, and Media (WAALM) supports, develops and promotes the dramatic and fine arts, creative writing and poetry, as well as professional journalism and media productions. WAALM regularly identifies and rewards excellence, inspires practitioners, and benefits the public, by means of awarding events.

The award granted is the Persian Golden Lioness statuette OR Diploma & Gold Medal of Excellence. For a full introduction to WAALM and the events please consult the widley consulted Persian Mirror magazine:

 

The awards for 2008 were granted on October 31st , 2008 (see collage of 2008 WAALM winnders that include Professors John Curtis and Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis of the British Museum, Professor Richard Davis, etc).

 

The winner of the “Best History Book of 2008“ (under WAALM’s category of Literature) was awarded to Kaveh Farrokh’s “Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War“:

 

Prior to his speech at the WAALM event, the sponosrs noted in their introduction of Kaveh Farrokh that one of the reasons why Shadows in the Desert was nominated for this prize was becuase the text has been found to be “…unbiased, and supported by proof and credentials…”. This evaluation is based on the collective decision by a 14-member panel of world-class academics of Iranica.  

Farrokh has also been cited as among the top three contenders for the Independent Book Publisher’s Association’s Benjamin Franklin Award of 2008, the BBC, the widely read Iranian.com website, and the Iranian equivalent of the New York Times Newspaper, The Kayhan Newspaper of London. He will also be interviewed regarding the book by Voice of America in December 2008 (dates and links to be posted soon)

Farrokh receiving the Golden Persian Lioness Award for “Best History Book of 2008″ from Michael Gayle (Political Section (Iran Affairs) of the U.S. Embassy in London) on October 31st, 2008 in London.

Other highly distinguished winners in the category of literature have been:

• Professors Vesta & John Curtis, OBE, Best Research (Ancient Iran); they have done much to advance the cause of Iranian Studies in archaeology, the British Museum and Academia.
• Professor Richard Davis for his exemplary Translation of Shahnameh (The book of kings)
• Mr. Eric Jerpe, nominated as Best Novelist of 2008 for his work in Fiction, “The return of Scheherazade”
• Ms. Ren A. Hakim, nominated for Best Screenplay of 2008 for her work “Xerxes”
• Dr. Patrick Hunt, Best Iranian Studies (including Engineering an Empire: The Persians)

Following the award ceremonies, Farrokh, Eric Jerpe and Ren Hakim engaged in a book signing session. Each of these WAALM awardees signed a total of 29 books to commemorate the peaceful arrival of Cyrus the Great (575-530 BC) to Babylon on October 29th, 543 BC, and his proclaimation of support and respect for the religious and cultural freedoms of the diverse peoples of the empire such as the Jews and the Babylonians.

Farrokh at the WAALM event in London on October 31st 2008.