diff --git a/.release-please-manifest.json b/.release-please-manifest.json
index fb1c7659..f2565cce 100644
--- a/.release-please-manifest.json
+++ b/.release-please-manifest.json
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 {
-    ".": "2.17.3"
+    ".": "2.18.0"
 }
   
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index c9c3cab0..ea0269c1 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -4,6 +4,14 @@
 
 [1]: https://pypi.org/project/google-cloud-speech/#history
 
+## [2.18.0](https://github.com/googleapis/python-speech/compare/v2.17.3...v2.18.0) (2023-02-28)
+
+
+### Features
+
+* Enable "rest" transport in Python for services supporting numeric enums ([a20d0f1](https://github.com/googleapis/python-speech/commit/a20d0f15a81e0ad9190f48cb4bc21b3580b7e1f0))
+* Voice Activity Detection - adding speech event time and speech event type ([a20d0f1](https://github.com/googleapis/python-speech/commit/a20d0f15a81e0ad9190f48cb4bc21b3580b7e1f0))
+
 ## [2.17.3](https://github.com/googleapis/python-speech/compare/v2.17.2...v2.17.3) (2023-02-02)
 
 
diff --git a/google/cloud/speech/gapic_version.py b/google/cloud/speech/gapic_version.py
index 36f3d159..f09943f6 100644
--- a/google/cloud/speech/gapic_version.py
+++ b/google/cloud/speech/gapic_version.py
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 #
-__version__ = "2.17.3"  # {x-release-please-version}
+__version__ = "2.18.0"  # {x-release-please-version}
diff --git a/google/cloud/speech_v1/gapic_version.py b/google/cloud/speech_v1/gapic_version.py
index 36f3d159..f09943f6 100644
--- a/google/cloud/speech_v1/gapic_version.py
+++ b/google/cloud/speech_v1/gapic_version.py
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 #
-__version__ = "2.17.3"  # {x-release-please-version}
+__version__ = "2.18.0"  # {x-release-please-version}
diff --git a/google/cloud/speech_v1p1beta1/gapic_version.py b/google/cloud/speech_v1p1beta1/gapic_version.py
index 36f3d159..f09943f6 100644
--- a/google/cloud/speech_v1p1beta1/gapic_version.py
+++ b/google/cloud/speech_v1p1beta1/gapic_version.py
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 #
-__version__ = "2.17.3"  # {x-release-please-version}
+__version__ = "2.18.0"  # {x-release-please-version}
diff --git a/google/cloud/speech_v2/gapic_version.py b/google/cloud/speech_v2/gapic_version.py
index 36f3d159..f09943f6 100644
--- a/google/cloud/speech_v2/gapic_version.py
+++ b/google/cloud/speech_v2/gapic_version.py
@@ -13,4 +13,4 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 #
-__version__ = "2.17.3"  # {x-release-please-version}
+__version__ = "2.18.0"  # {x-release-please-version}
diff --git a/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v1.json b/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v1.json
index c793efe0..bd6f09cb 100644
--- a/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v1.json
+++ b/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v1.json
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     ],
     "language": "PYTHON",
     "name": "google-cloud-speech",
-    "version": "0.1.0"
+    "version": "2.18.0"
   },
   "snippets": [
     {
diff --git a/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v1p1beta1.json b/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v1p1beta1.json
index b51d437c..c2bbddc0 100644
--- a/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v1p1beta1.json
+++ b/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v1p1beta1.json
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     ],
     "language": "PYTHON",
     "name": "google-cloud-speech",
-    "version": "0.1.0"
+    "version": "2.18.0"
   },
   "snippets": [
     {
diff --git a/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v2.json b/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v2.json
index cdf74909..f18f2c5a 100644
--- a/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v2.json
+++ b/samples/generated_samples/snippet_metadata_google.cloud.speech.v2.json
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     ],
     "language": "PYTHON",
     "name": "google-cloud-speech",
-    "version": "0.1.0"
+    "version": "2.18.0"
   },
   "snippets": [
     {