MSNBC host Rachel Maddow has won the John Steinbeck Award, Galleycat reports. She is the third female recipient and the first recipient under the age of 40.

The award is given “to writers and artists whose work captures the spirit of Steinbeck’s empathy, commitment to democratic values, and belief in the dignity of people who by circumstance are pushed to the fringes.”

“Listening to Rachel Maddow is like listening to Walter Cronkite,” Steinbeck’s son, Thomas, said in a statement. “We have that kind of trust in her.”