BooksforTopics named Award-Winning Finalist in the 2026 FSB & HSBC UK Business Growth Awards
BooksforTopics has been named an award-winning finalist at the 2026 FSB & HSBC UK Small Business Growth Awards. The awards were celebrated at a ceremony at the University Arms in Cambridge, hosted by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and HSBC UK. Founder and director Alison Leach attended the prestigious ceremony to collect the trophy on behalf of BooksForTopics.
A Community Award for a decade of impact
The awards recognise businesses that have demonstrated both commercial growth and a sustainable impact on their sector. For BooksforTopics, which celebrates its 10th anniversary during the National Year of Reading, being a finalist in the Community category highlights the company’s work as a specialist resource for schools and libraries. We are delighted to be recognised as the regional Runner-Up in the Community category across the whole of the East of England.
BooksforTopics acts as an independent filter between the publishing industry and the classroom, delivering the professional literacy advice and expert curation schools need to find books that offer literary depth and quality reading experiences across EYFS, KS1, KS2 and KS3.
Recognition for our independent curation process
For BooksforTopics, this official recognition from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and HSBC UK reflects the work the team has put into supporting schools and libraries over the past year. This award validates that the growth of BooksforTopics is built on genuine expertise and editorial integrity, with our Review Panel process ensuring that our recommendations remain unbiased and focused on what is tried and tested in real classrooms.
By providing authoritative recommendations and expertly balanced curations, from our popular Year Group Booklists to our specialised Curriculum Topic Lists, BooksforTopics helps schools to ensure that their literacy budgets are spent on books that will have the highest impact on children’s reading.
Celebrating regional and school-wide success
We were particularly pleased that the judges noted the impact of the BooksforTopics Community Book Schemes across the East of England. These projects are a practical way to get high-quality, expertly selected literature directly to the children who need them most, including schools, hospitals and community groups across Cambridgeshire.
Alison Leach, Founder and Director of BooksforTopics, said:
“We are absolutely thrilled to win a trophy in the Community Award category. Community is at the heart of our work at BooksforTopics – the teaching community, our regional Community Book Scheme and the community of children across the UK whose reading journeys benefit from our expert booklist curations. Being recognised by HSBC and the FSB for our growth and impact is an absolute honour as we celebrate our tenth anniversary milestone.”
Award-winning growth and community engagement
Over our ten years at BooksforTopics, we have grown a loyal and highly engaged audience of teachers and librarians who interact daily with the website and social media communities. The Small Business Growth Award recognises the scale of that growth and is an important validation of our impact on the teaching community.
Being awarded as a finalist reinforces our mission to find the very best books for every classroom. BooksforTopics would like to thank HSBC UK for recognising the impact this work has on the education sector. For the thousands of teachers and librarians who use our lists every day, this award confirms that BooksforTopics is a trusted national partner in the effort to get every child reading.
Curriculum planning for the next term? Explore our recommended curriculum-aligned booklists to see the resources recognised by the 2026 panel!
Where next?
> Browse our Topic Booklists
> Go to our National Year of Reading Booklist
> View our Printable Year Group Booklists.
> See our Books of the Month.