Sri Lankan Australian artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran​ won the Sidney Myer Fund Australian Ceramic Art Award. The Awards was held at the Shepparton Art Museum, the biennial prize worth $50,000 and is considered the premier national award for artists working in ceramics. Born in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Nithiyendran has looked for inspiration in Hindu religious art. The award was co-judged by National Gallery of Australia deputy director Kirsten Paisley, who commended Nithiyendran on an “exceptionally exciting” body of sculptural works. “His work evokes the energy and reverence of the ‘deity’ while embodying the playfulness of a story-book action hero,” Paisley said. The exhibition of finalists’ works runs until late November.