A prominent Australian artist Nigel Milsom, who was jailed earlier this year for robbing a convenience store while high on drugs has won a major national art prize.

CEOAFRICA gathered that Nigel Milsom was awarded the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize, winning $150,000, for his portrait Uncle Paddy.

The artist, who suffers from depression, completed the painting earlier this year while on bail awaiting sentencing for the crime

The winning portrait was picked by 2009 Moran Prize winner Ben Quilty and ex-Art Gallery of South Australia director Daniel Thomas, who were not told the names of the artists.

According to source, Quilty said "The fact is it was the best painting," "I judged the painting, not him." He praised Milsom's "extraordinarily refined technique, the brushwork, so smooth, so delicate".

According to him, "Even someone who has gotten into some state of punishment for whatever he did could come well," said Judge Daniel Thomas. "So that's how I reconciled myself with Milsom getting that money."

 Milsom, a former security guard, is serving six years for armed robbery.