"It was a pleasant surprise," Mr Lindeman said.

"It's an honour just to be selected as a finalist, to have my work exhibited and to be up against a really high standard of really successful artists. Winning was just an extra bonus."

Mr Lindeman, 37, completed his master of fine arts in 2004 from the University of NSW and had nothing but praise for the Campbelltown Arts Centre as a venue for art exhibitions.

"It was fantastic, really professional," he said.

"It's providing a great contribution to the community and it's a really good space."

He will be re-investing his $20,000 prize money into his art and his studio in his Marrickville home.

The winning artwork, titled Paintings, Prints and Wall Hangings consisted of six individual paintings joined together, replicating a newspaper column. It is based on newspaper classifieds he has been collecting for years.

"The title was taken from the section of the Trading Post where I found these advertisements," he said.

"They are real ads with real phone numbers and suburbs. I reproduced them on a very large scale."

Mr Lindeman's winning artwork took him up to three months to complete.

He sees it as an interesting way to examine how art is valued.

"This piece addresses issues surrounding cultural meaning and the value of art," he said.

"The viewer is almost offered to participate, to interact and imagine the work."

The painting refers to various Australian suburbs and regional locations.

It can be seen at Campbelltown Arts Centre until this Sunday, November 21.