diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 2902a16e15..a92d388a2b 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ checksum = "245097e9a4535ee1e3e3931fcfcd55a796a44c643e8596ff6566d68f09b87bbc"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-schema"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "schemars",
  "serde_json",
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-std"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "base64",
  "cosmwasm-schema",
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-storage"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-std",
  "serde",
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-vm"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-std",
  "hex",
diff --git a/contracts/burner/Cargo.lock b/contracts/burner/Cargo.lock
index ff59632ea5..6806fa74ad 100644
--- a/contracts/burner/Cargo.lock
+++ b/contracts/burner/Cargo.lock
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ checksum = "245097e9a4535ee1e3e3931fcfcd55a796a44c643e8596ff6566d68f09b87bbc"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-schema"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "schemars",
  "serde_json",
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-std"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "base64",
  "schemars",
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-vm"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-std",
  "hex",
diff --git a/contracts/hackatom/Cargo.lock b/contracts/hackatom/Cargo.lock
index 1c178ef152..099691f977 100644
--- a/contracts/hackatom/Cargo.lock
+++ b/contracts/hackatom/Cargo.lock
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ checksum = "245097e9a4535ee1e3e3931fcfcd55a796a44c643e8596ff6566d68f09b87bbc"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-schema"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "schemars",
  "serde_json",
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-std"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "base64",
  "schemars",
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-storage"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-std",
  "serde",
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-vm"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-std",
  "hex",
@@ -400,7 +400,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "hackatom"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-schema",
  "cosmwasm-std",
diff --git a/contracts/hackatom/Cargo.toml b/contracts/hackatom/Cargo.toml
index e318c6a88b..72b45fe75d 100644
--- a/contracts/hackatom/Cargo.toml
+++ b/contracts/hackatom/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "hackatom"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 authors = ["Ethan Frey <ethanfrey@users.noreply.github.com>"]
 edition = "2018"
 publish = false
diff --git a/contracts/queue/Cargo.lock b/contracts/queue/Cargo.lock
index 4961c0262a..c6ba8acb74 100644
--- a/contracts/queue/Cargo.lock
+++ b/contracts/queue/Cargo.lock
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ checksum = "245097e9a4535ee1e3e3931fcfcd55a796a44c643e8596ff6566d68f09b87bbc"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-schema"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "schemars",
  "serde_json",
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-std"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "base64",
  "schemars",
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-vm"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-std",
  "hex",
@@ -565,7 +565,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "queue"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-schema",
  "cosmwasm-std",
diff --git a/contracts/queue/Cargo.toml b/contracts/queue/Cargo.toml
index 08cb0230bf..340940f5ad 100644
--- a/contracts/queue/Cargo.toml
+++ b/contracts/queue/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "queue"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 authors = ["Ethan Frey <ethanfrey@users.noreply.github.com>"]
 edition = "2018"
 publish = false
diff --git a/contracts/reflect/Cargo.lock b/contracts/reflect/Cargo.lock
index c3cf537226..ee5aa3de9e 100644
--- a/contracts/reflect/Cargo.lock
+++ b/contracts/reflect/Cargo.lock
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ checksum = "245097e9a4535ee1e3e3931fcfcd55a796a44c643e8596ff6566d68f09b87bbc"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-schema"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "schemars",
  "serde_json",
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-std"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "base64",
  "schemars",
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-storage"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-std",
  "serde",
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-vm"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-std",
  "hex",
@@ -623,7 +623,7 @@ checksum = "2439c63f3f6139d1b57529d16bc3b8bb855230c8efcc5d3a896c8bea7c3b1e84"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "reflect"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-schema",
  "cosmwasm-std",
diff --git a/contracts/reflect/Cargo.toml b/contracts/reflect/Cargo.toml
index 5997a4d8e1..a73e49b4b2 100644
--- a/contracts/reflect/Cargo.toml
+++ b/contracts/reflect/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "reflect"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 authors = ["Ethan Frey <ethanfrey@users.noreply.github.com>"]
 publish = false
 edition = "2018"
diff --git a/contracts/staking/Cargo.lock b/contracts/staking/Cargo.lock
index bab5b20e06..adf12d92c2 100644
--- a/contracts/staking/Cargo.lock
+++ b/contracts/staking/Cargo.lock
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ checksum = "245097e9a4535ee1e3e3931fcfcd55a796a44c643e8596ff6566d68f09b87bbc"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-schema"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "schemars",
  "serde_json",
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-std"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "base64",
  "schemars",
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-storage"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-std",
  "serde",
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "cosmwasm-vm"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-std",
  "hex",
@@ -804,7 +804,7 @@ checksum = "dba1a27d3efae4351c8051072d619e3ade2820635c3958d826bfea39d59b54c8"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "staking"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 dependencies = [
  "cosmwasm-schema",
  "cosmwasm-std",
diff --git a/contracts/staking/Cargo.toml b/contracts/staking/Cargo.toml
index 958b1913f8..c9c2a9ab57 100644
--- a/contracts/staking/Cargo.toml
+++ b/contracts/staking/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "staking"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 authors = ["Ethan Frey <ethanfrey@users.noreply.github.com>"]
 edition = "2018"
 
diff --git a/packages/schema/Cargo.toml b/packages/schema/Cargo.toml
index 7a0ac98fec..d9bab66b75 100644
--- a/packages/schema/Cargo.toml
+++ b/packages/schema/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "cosmwasm-schema"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 authors = ["Simon Warta <webmaster128@users.noreply.github.com>", "Ethan Frey <ethanfrey@users.noreply.github.com>"]
 edition = "2018"
 description = "A dev-dependency for CosmWasm contracts to generate JSON Schema files."
diff --git a/packages/std/Cargo.toml b/packages/std/Cargo.toml
index 73380399e5..16acc2af40 100644
--- a/packages/std/Cargo.toml
+++ b/packages/std/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "cosmwasm-std"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 authors = ["Ethan Frey <ethanfrey@users.noreply.github.com>"]
 edition = "2018"
 description = "Standard library for Wasm based smart contracts on Cosmos blockchains"
diff --git a/packages/storage/Cargo.toml b/packages/storage/Cargo.toml
index a849955606..8afb82ffc0 100644
--- a/packages/storage/Cargo.toml
+++ b/packages/storage/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "cosmwasm-storage"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 authors = ["Ethan Frey <ethanfrey@users.noreply.github.com>"]
 edition = "2018"
 description = "CosmWasm library with useful helpers for Storage patterns"
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ iterator = ["cosmwasm-std/iterator"]
 
 [dependencies]
 # Uses the path when built locally; uses the given version from crates.io when published
-cosmwasm-std = { path = "../std", version = "0.8.1" }
+cosmwasm-std = { path = "../std", version = "0.9.0-alpha1" }
 serde = { version = "1.0.103", default-features = false, features = ["derive", "alloc"] }
 
 [dev-dependencies]
diff --git a/packages/vm/Cargo.toml b/packages/vm/Cargo.toml
index e8a3155043..7b6e869cb5 100644
--- a/packages/vm/Cargo.toml
+++ b/packages/vm/Cargo.toml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "cosmwasm-vm"
-version = "0.8.1"
+version = "0.9.0-alpha1"
 authors = ["Ethan Frey <ethanfrey@users.noreply.github.com>"]
 edition = "2018"
 description = "VM bindings to run cosmwams contracts"
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ staking = ["cosmwasm-std/staking"]
 
 [dependencies]
 # Uses the path when built locally; uses the given version from crates.io when published
-cosmwasm-std = { path = "../std", version = "0.8.1" }
+cosmwasm-std = { path = "../std", version = "0.9.0-alpha1" }
 serde_json = "1.0"
 wasmer-runtime-core = "0.17"
 wasmer-middleware-common = "0.17"