diff --git a/releases/v1.6.21.toml b/releases/v1.6.21.toml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..b11e448c8d01
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releases/v1.6.21.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+# commit to be tagged for new release
+commit = "HEAD"
+
+# project_name is used to refer to the project in the notes
+project_name = "containerd"
+
+# github_repo is the github project, only github is currently supported
+github_repo = "containerd/containerd"
+
+# match_deps is a pattern to determine which dependencies should be included
+# as part of this release. The changelog will also include changes for these
+# dependencies based on the change in the dependency's version.
+match_deps = "^github.com/(containerd/[a-zA-Z0-9-]+)$"
+
+# previous release of this project for determining changes
+previous = "v1.6.20"
+
+# pre_release is whether to include a disclaimer about being a pre-release
+pre_release = false
+
+# preface is the description of the release which precedes the author list
+# and changelog. This description could include highlights as well as any
+# description of changes. Use markdown formatting.
+preface = """\
+The twenty-first patch release for containerd 1.6 contains various fixes and updates.
+
+### Notable Updates
+
+* **update runc binary to v1.1.7 ([#8450](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/pull/8450))
+* **Remove entry for container from container store on error ([#8456](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/pull/8456))
+* **oci: partially restore comment on read-only mounts for uid/gid uses ([#8403](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/pull/8403))
+* **windows: Add ArgsEscaped support for CRI ([#8247](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/pull/8247))
+* **oci: Use WithReadonlyTempMount when adding users/groups ([#8357](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/pull/8357))
+* **archive: consistently respect value of WithSkipDockerManifest ([#8345](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/pull/8345))
+
+See the changelog for complete list of changes"""
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/version/version.go b/version/version.go
index e0593912a668..2fee285ac1bc 100644
--- a/version/version.go
+++ b/version/version.go
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ var (
 	Package = "github.com/containerd/containerd"
 
 	// Version holds the complete version number. Filled in at linking time.
-	Version = "1.6.20+unknown"
+	Version = "1.6.21+unknown"
 
 	// Revision is filled with the VCS (e.g. git) revision being used to build
 	// the program at linking time.