diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/CHANGES.md
index 611974487d..f7a7eba374 100644
--- a/CHANGES.md
+++ b/CHANGES.md
@@ -1,3 +1,31 @@
+Release 3.1 (target: Sept 2025?) -- compared to 3.0
+---------------------------------------------------
+### New minimum dependencies and compatibility changes:
+
+### ⛰️  New features and public API changes:
+
+### 🚀  Performance improvements:
+
+### 🐛  Fixes and feature enhancements:
+
+### 🔧  Internals and developer goodies
+
+### 🏗  Build/test/CI and platform ports:
+* CMake build system and scripts:
+* Dependency support:
+* Testing and Continuous integration (CI) systems:
+* Platform support:
+
+### 📚  Notable documentation changes:
+
+### 🏢  Project Administration
+
+
+
+---
+---
+
+
 Release 3.0 (beta 1 - Oct 15, 2024) -- compared to 2.5.16.0
 -----------------------------------------------------------
 Executive Summary / Highlights:
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 3224657673..0e8acc7041 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 cmake_minimum_required (VERSION 3.18.2)
 
-set (OpenImageIO_VERSION "3.0.0.0")
+set (OpenImageIO_VERSION "3.1.0.0")
 set (OpenImageIO_VERSION_OVERRIDE "" CACHE STRING
      "Version override (use with caution)!")
 mark_as_advanced (OpenImageIO_VERSION_OVERRIDE)
@@ -19,12 +19,12 @@ project (OpenImageIO VERSION ${OpenImageIO_VERSION}
 set (PROJ_NAME OIIO)    # short name, caps
 string (TOLOWER ${PROJ_NAME} PROJ_NAME_LOWER)  # short name lower case
 string (TOUPPER ${PROJ_NAME} PROJ_NAME_UPPER)  # short name upper case
-set (PROJECT_VERSION_RELEASE_TYPE "beta1" CACHE STRING
+set (PROJECT_VERSION_RELEASE_TYPE "dev" CACHE STRING
     "Build type, for example: dev, beta2, RC1 (empty string for normal release)")
 set (${PROJECT_NAME}_VERSION_RELEASE_TYPE ${PROJECT_VERSION_RELEASE_TYPE})
 set (PROJECT_AUTHORS "Contributors to the OpenImageIO project")
 option (${PROJECT_NAME}_SUPPORTED_RELEASE
-        "Set ON for supported release branches, OFF for 'main'" ON)
+        "Set ON for supported release branches, OFF for 'main'" OFF)
 if (${PROJECT_NAME}_SUPPORTED_RELEASE)
     set (${PROJECT_NAME}_DEV_RELEASE OFF)
 else ()