diff --git a/NEWS b/NEWS
index 6451383ec1..9ec073e78b 100644
--- a/NEWS
+++ b/NEWS
@@ -1,3 +1,6 @@
+Overview of Changes in GTK+ 3.24.44, xx-xx-xxxx
+===============================================
+
 Overview of Changes in GTK+ 3.24.43, 10-07-2024
 ===============================================
 
diff --git a/meson.build b/meson.build
index 67b24e5e7d..b8fbff6e65 100644
--- a/meson.build
+++ b/meson.build
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 project('gtk+', 'c',
-  version: '3.24.43',
+  version: '3.24.44',
   default_options: [
     'buildtype=debugoptimized',
     'warning_level=1'