diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index f8885460..0e5c09ca 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ ROOTDIR=$(CURDIR)
 OUTDIR=${ROOTDIR}/_output
 
 # Identifies the current build.
-VERSION ?= v1.26.0-SNAPSHOT
+VERSION ?= v1.26.0
 COMMIT_HASH ?= $(shell git rev-parse HEAD)
 
 # Identifies the Kiali operator container image that will be built