Hachette Book Group Named Finalist in Ragan’s 2026 Zenith Awards for Raising Readers Social Impact Campaign
New York, NY (September 2026) — Hachette Book Group is proud to announce that it has been named a finalist in Ragan’s 2026 Zenith Awards in the Corporate Social Responsibility category for Raising Readers, HBG’s social impact campaign addressing the alarming decline in children reading for fun and entertainment, the single biggest predictor of a child’s future success.
Ragan’s Zenith Awards honor outstanding communications, public relations and marketing campaigns, teams and leaders. Finalists represent standout work distinguished by the strategy, creativity, and results behind communications that made a meaningful impact.
Finalists will be recognized during Ragan’s Zenith Awards Luncheon on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at the Edison Ballroom in New York City. Finalists, colleagues, clients and industry peers will gather for an afternoon of recognition and celebration, with category winners revealed live on stage.
“HBG is thrilled to be honored as a finalist for our Raising Readers social impact campaign. Research indicates that reading for pleasure and entertainment has a significant impact on a child’s future happiness and success,” said Gabrielle Gambrell, Chief Communications Officer, Hachette Book Group. “We recently partnered with Barnes & Noble nation-wide, as well as Waterstones in the UK to launch Raising Readers Storytimes, an in-person activation across the Atlantic, and along with more than 50 partners across industries, we are eager to continue the Raising Readers campaign for years to come.”
“The Zenith Awards recognize communications, PR and marketing work that combines strong strategy, creativity and measurable impact,” said Brendan Gannon, director of marketing at Ragan Communications. “This year’s finalists represent the campaigns, teams and professionals whose work stood out among an exceptional field. We congratulate all of the finalists and look forward to celebrating their achievements in New York.”
HBG’s finalist entry, Raising Readers, was recognized for its success reaching four key philanthropic initiatives in 2026, including providing curated classroom libraries to 200 underfunded schools and education programs in confirmed book deserts, mobilizing at least 200 volunteers to deliver reading or literacy support, launching 200 Little Free Libraries in book deserts with committed replenishment throughout 2026, and hosting 200 author visits to classrooms (virtually or in-person) for immersive author sessions and read-alouds.
About Hachette Book Group:
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading U.S. general-interest book publisher made up of dozens of esteemed imprints within the publishing groups Basic Books Group, Grand Central Publishing Group, Hachette Audio, Little, Brown and Company, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Orbit, Workman Publishing, and Running Press Group. We also provide custom distribution, fulfillment, and sales services to several publishing companies.
Our books and authors have received the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Booker Prize, Nobel Prize, James Beard Award, and other major honors.
We are committed to diversity in our company and our publishing programs, and to fostering a culture of inclusion for all our employees and authors. We are proud to be part of Hachette Livre, the world’s third-largest trade and educational publisher.
Visit hachettebookgroup.com to learn more about HBG imprints. For updated news follow HBG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, X.com, Snapchat, and YouTube.
About Ragan Communications
Ragan Communications has been delivering trusted news, training and intelligence for more than 60 years to internal and external communicators, HR professionals and business leaders. Its daily news sites, PRDaily.com and Ragan.com, are read by more than 600,000 internal and external communicators monthly. Ragan’s Communications Leadership Council is one of the fastest-growing membership groups for communications executives, and its conferences, webinars and workshops are attended by more than 5,000 communicators a year. Ragan Training is the leading learning portal among communicators, offering more than 800 hours of training and development for communicators. Ragan is also the producer of Communications Week, which is held each November. Headquartered in Chicago, Ragan has team members spanning the country and loyal customers worldwide. Visit us at ragan.com.