Parvin ShereWinnepeg, Canada: Patna-born, Winnipeg-based Parvin Shere was named for the prestigious award and a cash prize of 5,000 US dollars after her latest  publication was declared the best book in 2010.

The award will be given by Urdu Markaz International, Los Angeles, for Parvin's book 'Raindrops on Parched Land' (Nihal-e-Dil Par Sahab Jaise). The award of $5,000 cash and plaque will be presented to her at a special ceremony to be held on October 31 in Los Angeles, California.

Urdu Markaz International has won several laurels from all International world literary societies and was founded by Mrs Naiyar Jehan Begum and her husband Syed Zahanet Hussain. It is a highly acclaimed literary body that has been on the forefront of sponsoring world class Urdu literature.

'Raindrops on Parched Land' 2010 edition is a unique concept that has emerged from Parvin's pen and brush.

Based on a single theme of 'Mother', this publication has a myriad of enthralling universal implications, and is a unique example in all of Urdu Literature. Several prominent scholars have pointed out that Parvin's creations are different from the collections of Chughtai and Sadquain in the sense that both poetry and related paintings are created by a single artist Parvin Shere, and that the book is in a coffee table format. Parvin is as good with words as she is with colours and handles the demands of both the fields competently. "This is a rare and enviable combination," says Prof Gopi Chand Narang, an eminent critic and scholar.

According to Dr. Stephen Borys, Director Winnipeg Art Gallery, Canada and former Curator - Department of European and American Art, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa: Parvin Shere's visual metaphors present the viewer with unsettling ambiguity. Some are points of no return tunnels of destruction, but there are also sightlines of hope and promise.
Parvin Shere is an artist, poet and musician. She formally developed her talent of paintings at the University of Manitoba, Canada, Fine Arts Program. Her extensive travel throughout Europe and particularly in developing countries triggered in her a need to enlighten her audience about the dualistic nature of this world. The oppressed has a profound effect on her work.

Parvin's visual art has been exhibited in Canada, United States of America, England, France, Germany, China and India. She has won several awards internationally.

Previously the selection committee of Adabi Culture, Varanasi, India, has awarded Parvin's Kirchian (fragments) as one of the two best books for the year 2008. She was one of the five nominees honored during the prestigious "Woman of Distinction Awards" for her contribution in Art, Culture and Heritage in Winnipeg, Canada.

She has composed CD'S of poetry and music for UNICEF to help raise funds for underprivileged children globally. In addition to organ and banjo, she plays the sitar, one of the most ancient and difficult instruments. She currently working for the Film Classification for the Government of Manitoba, Canada.