diff --git a/docs/release_notes/4.5.0.rst b/docs/release_notes/4.5.0.rst
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..84806ca52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/release_notes/4.5.0.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+- Update year and update license test to 2021.
+- Bump OSVVM. :vunit_issue:`712`
+- Support Python 3.9.
+- Call `supports_coverage()` rather than returning method object. :vunit_issue:`638`
+- Do not use `relpath` when printing output file. :vunit_issue:`661`
+- Make `runner.create_output_path` a member of `TestRunner` class and reanme to `_get_output_path`. :vunit_issue:`682`
+- Update `check_stable` to handle longer time frames. :vunit_issue:`636`
+- Add `check_equal` for `character`. :vunit_issue:`721` :vunit_issue:`722`
+- Update `.gitignore`. :vunit_issue:`641`
+- Resolve ambiguity between VUnit's `line_vector` type and the new standard `line_vector` type in VHDL-2019. :vunit_issue:`664`
+- [Tests] Use `str` for params to `self.check`, reduce 'many_keys' to avoid failure with latest GHDL.
+- [Docs] Travis is not used for releases, use `autodoc_default_options` instead of (deprecated) `autodoc_default_flags`, fix duplicated content and index of vunit_cli, add intersphinx mapping to docs.python.org, update 'Credits' and 'License', use buildthedocs/sphinx.theme, replace `LICENSE.txt` with `LICENSE.rst`, replace `README.rst` with `README.md`, move 'Requirements' from 'About' to 'Installing', add captioned toctrees, use admonitions, move CI out from CLI and update content, add blog post on continuous integration, clarify that GHDL is a rolling project. :vunit_issue:`694`
+- [Tools] raise exception if git not available when creating release notes.
+- [Example/vhdl/array_axis_vcs] Update, expand procedure `run_test`, add stall functionality. :vunit_issue:`648`
+- [UI] Fix not serializable path when exporting JSON. :vunit_issue:`657`
+- [Tox] add pyproject.toml, use isolated_build, merge tox.ini into pyproject.yml.
+- [Setup] Ensure that the source tree is on the sys path.
+- [RivieraPro] Fix coverage merge error. :vunit_issue:`675`
+- [RivieraPro] handle empty macro. :vunit_issue:`681`
+- [RivieraPro] Update VHDL version option in command line interface to work with version 2020.04 and above. :vunit_issue:`664`
+- [VCs] Add null AXI stream master and slave constants.
+- [VCs] Fix bug in AXI stream protocol checker rule 4.
+- [VCs] Add ability to define the actor on new_axi_slave function. :vunit_issue:`709`
+- [VCs] Push avalon master read req msg one cycle earlier. :vunit_issue:`695` :vunit_issue:`696`
+- [VCs] Fix broken msg passing in wishbone master. :vunit_issue:`692` :vunit_issue:`693`
+- [CI] Update container registry, use ghcr.io.
+- [CI] Pin Sphinx and docutils version to work around theme issues.
diff --git a/vunit/about.py b/vunit/about.py
index 3fbfbe6f0..3b5f1362e 100644
--- a/vunit/about.py
+++ b/vunit/about.py
@@ -60,4 +60,4 @@ def version():
     return VERSION
 
 
-VERSION = "4.4.1rc0"
+VERSION = "4.5.0"