The award is called "In the Souls of the People", a phrase borrowed from the Steinbeck novel, "The Grapes of Wrath" and is given out by San Jose State University's Steinbeck Center.

"My father would have loved Michael Moore," says author Thomas Steinbeck, John Steinbeck's son, according to a university statement. "My father was the Michael Moore of his time."

The Academy Award-winning director of many films, including Capitalism: A Love Story, Sicko and Roger and Me, will accept the award next month at a benefit for the Steinbeck Center.  Moore's selection for the award was announced on HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher Sept. 17.