The winning work, Gimme Shelter, is a statement on the plight of refugees and was awarded a $5000 prize. Mr Purdy said the sculpture’s positioning on a rock in a lake separated the viewer from this human figure and highlighted the isolation and rejection many stateless people feel.

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“Figurative works in general tend to connect well with the public, but l think in this case, the positioning of the wooden man on his tiny barren island was a large factor in the success of the sculpture and its resulting popularity,” Mr Purdy said.

“While the surface detail of the timber is what l like most about the sculpture, the metre or two of water separating it from the viewer was integral to the emotional response that it generated. 

“The scarred, faceless figure, sitting rejected and forlorn, was obviously meant to evoke compassion, but equally to remind us all of how lucky we are to enjoy all the freedoms we do in Australia.”

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There were 23 works exhibited in the competitions at the Campbelltown Campus during May.

In April, Mr Purdy was awarded Wollongong council's $30,000 biennial acquisitive sculpture award for his work Steel City.

Other accolades include winning the Western Sydney University Acquisitive Sculpture Award 2016,  the UWS UrbanGrowth Acquisitive Prize in 2014, and several Bondi Sculpture by the Sea prizes including the inaugural Sculpture Inside Curator’s Prize in 2010 and People’s Choice Award in 2005.

The 9th biennial Western Sydney University Sculpture Award and Exhibition will be held in 2020.