Pierce College student Taylor Arthur, Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles 2017 Student Photojournalist of the Year., receives a camera as part of her award Saturday, April 7, 2018 in Alhambra, California. Arthur received $1,000 and a camera from Nikon. (Gerard Burkhart Photo)

Los Angeles Pierce College photography student Taylor Arthur has been named the 2017 Photojournalist of the Year by the Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles.

She received the award last weekend at a luncheon in Montebello. The award came with a $1,000 check and a Nikon camera and lens.

Arthur, who was joined by her family at the awards ceremony, knew she was a finalist but did not know she had won first place until she was called up on stage. This was her first time entering the contest, which judged photographers on multiple categories, such as news, sports and features.

“I want to thank the Press Photographers Association of Greater Los Angeles for this award. It really helps my confidence,” she said.

The best part of the event, she said, was sharing the stage with her “heroes” in the business — some of the city’s best photographers — who also received awards.

“The photographer has a good shooting eye and knows how to tell a story,” the judges wrote about Arthur. “Photos showed excellent emotion with a good sense of timing. Great camera control. The multimedia piece showed an excellent use of editing skills, with a combination of video, stills, native sound.”

Arthur plans to graduate from Pierce College with an associate’s degree after this semester and transfer to Cal State Fullerton. The former editor of The Bull Magazine and photo editor of the Roundup newspaper also works as an assistant photo editor for the seasonal Envelope section of the L.A. Times.

She mostly works during television and film awards season from October through March. In addition to editing, she has helped out as a photo assistant on a shoot for the cast of “Stranger Things” and at an Oscars roundtable with stars such as Jake Gyllenhaal and Margot Robbie.

She hopes this experience will help her secure an internship as a photographer for the Times or another top publication.

Click here to see a slideshow Arthur submitted as part of the competition.