[ANNOUNCEMENT] v1.37 Call for Enhancements

[Subhasmita Swain]

Howdy Kubernetes community!

The v1.37 release cycle is officially underway. If your SIG has work planned for this cycle, now is the time to get it on our radar.

Actions Required
SIG Leads:

• Discuss within your SIG which enhancements you will be proposing for this release.
• Opt in for enhancements by applying the current milestone (v1.37) and the lead-opted-in label on the tracking issues in kubernetes/enhancements.

Enhancement owners:

• Open an issue in kubernetes/enhancements if one does not already exist.
• Ensure your kep.yaml has:
  • status set to implementable
  • latest-milestone set to v1.37
• Ensure a README.md exists that:
  • Uses the latest KEP template
  • Has the updated test plan section filled out
• Ensure a Production Readiness Review (PRR) has been completed or is actively in progress.

Reviewers and Approvers:

• Please apply the kind/deprecation label to PRs as appropriate - the Comms team will thank you for it!

On Deadlines

The PRR Freeze is a hard deadline no exceptions, no wiggle room. All enhancements must opt in well before the Production Readiness Review (PRR) Freeze on Tuesday, 9th June 2026 (AoE) to give the PRR team adequate runway for reviews.
Enhancements opted in after this deadline are at high risk of not receiving a review in time and will miss the milestone, requiring an explicit exception request to stay in the release.

v1.37 Release Cycle Timeline:

• Release Cycle begins: Monday, 18th May, 2026
• Production Readiness Review (PRR) Freeze: Tuesday, 9th June 2026 (End of Day, Anywhere on Earth)/ 12:00 UTC Wednesday, 10th June 2026
• Enhancements Freeze: Tuesday, 16th June, 2026 (End of Day, Anywhere on Earth) / 12:00 UTC Wednesday, 17th June, 2026
• Code Freeze: Wednesday, 22nd July, 2026 (End of Day, Anywhere on Earth) / 12:00 UTC Thursday, 23rd July, 2026
• Release Day: Wednesday, 26th August, 2026

Useful Links & Resources

• Full Schedule: sig-release/v1.37 Schedule
• Tracking Board: Enhancements Tracking Board
• Slack Channels:
  • #release-enhancements
  • #sig-release

Please direct your concerned questions in #release-enhancements slack channel.

Thanks,
Subhasmita Swain
v1.37 Enhancements Lead