diff --git a/hacking/release-announcement.py b/hacking/release-announcement.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..f04431425df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hacking/release-announcement.py
@@ -0,0 +1,292 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+# coding: utf-8
+# Copyright: (c) 2019, Ansible Project
+# GNU General Public License v3.0+ (see COPYING or https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt)
+
+# Make coding more python3-ish
+from __future__ import (absolute_import, division, print_function)
+__metaclass__ = type
+
+
+import argparse
+import asyncio
+import datetime
+import hashlib
+import sys
+from collections import UserString
+from distutils.version import LooseVersion
+
+import aiohttp
+from jinja2 import Environment, DictLoader
+
+# pylint: disable=
+VERSION_FRAGMENT = """
+{%- if versions | length > 1 %}
+  {% for version in versions %}
+    {% if loop.last %}and {{ version }}{% else %}
+      {% if versions | length == 2 %}{{ version }} {% else %}{{ version }}, {% endif -%}
+    {% endif -%}
+  {% endfor -%}
+{%- else %}{{ versions[0] }}{% endif -%}
+"""
+
+LONG_TEMPLATE = """
+{% set plural = True if versions | length == 1 else False %}
+{% set latest_ver = (versions | sort(attribute='ver_obj'))[-1] %}
+
+To: ansible-devel@googlegroups.com, ansible-project@googlegroups.com, ansible-announce@googlegroups.com
+Subject: New Ansible release{% if plural %}s{% endif %} {{ version_str }}
+
+{% filter wordwrap %}
+Hi all- we're happy to announce that the general release of Ansible {{ version_str }}{% if plural %} are{%- else %} is{%- endif %} now available!
+{% endfilter %}
+
+
+
+How do you get it?
+------------------
+
+{% for version in versions %}
+$ pip install ansible=={{ version }} --user
+{% if not loop.last %}
+or
+{% endif %}
+{% endfor %}
+
+The tar.gz of the release{% if plural %}s{% endif %} can be found here:
+
+{% for version in versions %}
+* {{ version }}
+  https://releases.ansible.com/ansible/ansible-{{ version }}.tar.gz
+  SHA256: {{ hashes[version] }}
+{% endfor %}
+
+
+What's new in {{ version_str }}
+{{ '-' * (14 + version_str | length) }}
+
+{% filter wordwrap %}
+{% if plural %}This release is a{% else %}These releases are{% endif %} maintenance release{% if plural %}s{% endif %} containing numerous bugfixes. The full {% if versions | length <= 1 %} changelog is{% else %} changelogs are{% endif %} at:
+{% endfilter %}
+
+
+{% for version in versions %}
+* {{ version }}
+  https://github.com/ansible/ansible/blob/stable-{{ version.split('.')[:2] | join('.') }}/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v{{ version.split('.')[:2] | join('.') }}.rst
+{% endfor %}
+
+
+What's the schedule for future maintenance releases?
+----------------------------------------------------
+
+{% filter wordwrap %}
+Future maintenance releases will occur approximately every 3 weeks.  So expect the next one around {{ next_release.strftime('%Y-%m-%d') }}.
+{% endfilter %}
+
+
+
+Porting Help
+------------
+
+{% filter wordwrap %}
+We've published a porting guide at
+https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/devel/porting_guides/porting_guide_{{ latest_ver.split('.')[:2] | join('.') }}.html to help migrate your content to {{ latest_ver.split('.')[:2] | join('.') }}.
+{% endfilter %}
+
+
+
+{% filter wordwrap %}
+If you discover any errors or if any of your working playbooks break when you upgrade to {{ latest_ver }}, please report the regression via https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/new/choose  In your issue, be sure to mention the Ansible version that works and the one that doesn't.
+{% endfilter %}
+
+
+Thanks!
+
+-{{ name }}
+
+"""  # noqa for E501 (line length).
+# jinja2 is horrid about getting rid of extra newlines so we have to have a single per paragraph for
+# proper wrapping to occur
+
+SHORT_TEMPLATE = """
+@ansible
+{{ version_str }}
+{% if versions | length > 1 %}
+  have
+{% else %}
+  has
+{% endif %}
+been released! Get
+{% if versions | length > 1 %}
+them
+{% else %}
+it
+{% endif %}
+on PyPI: pip install ansible=={{ (versions|sort(attribute='ver_obj'))[-1] }},
+https://releases.ansible.com/ansible/, the Ansible PPA on Launchpad, or GitHub.  Happy automating!
+"""  # noqa for E501 (line length).
+# jinja2 is horrid about getting rid of extra newlines so we have to have a single per paragraph for
+# proper wrapping to occur
+
+JINJA_ENV = Environment(
+    loader=DictLoader({'long': LONG_TEMPLATE,
+                       'short': SHORT_TEMPLATE,
+                       'version_string': VERSION_FRAGMENT,
+                       }),
+    extensions=['jinja2.ext.i18n'],
+    trim_blocks=True,
+    lstrip_blocks=True,
+)
+
+
+class VersionStr(UserString):
+    def __init__(self, string):
+        super().__init__(string.strip())
+        self.ver_obj = LooseVersion(string)
+
+
+def parse_args(args):
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Generate email and twitter announcements"
+                                                 " from template")
+    parser.add_argument("--version", dest="versions", type=str, required=True, action='append',
+                        help="Versions of Ansible to announce")
+    parser.add_argument("--name", type=str, required=True, help="Real name to use on emails")
+    parser.add_argument("--email-out", type=str, default="-",
+                        help="Filename to place the email announcement into")
+    parser.add_argument("--twitter-out", type=str, default="-",
+                        help="Filename to place the twitter announcement into")
+
+    args = parser.parse_args(args)
+
+    # Make it possible to sort versions in the jinja2 templates
+    new_versions = []
+    for version in args.versions:
+        new_versions.append(VersionStr(version))
+    args.versions = new_versions
+
+    return args
+
+
+async def calculate_hash_from_tarball(session, version):
+    tar_url = f'https://releases.ansible.com/ansible/ansible-{version}.tar.gz'
+    tar_task = asyncio.create_task(session.get(tar_url))
+    tar_response = await tar_task
+
+    tar_hash = hashlib.sha256()
+    while True:
+        chunk = await tar_response.content.read(1024)
+        if not chunk:
+            break
+        tar_hash.update(chunk)
+
+    return tar_hash.hexdigest()
+
+
+async def parse_hash_from_file(session, version):
+    filename = f'ansible-{version}.tar.gz'
+    hash_url = f'https://releases.ansible.com/ansible/{filename}.sha'
+    hash_task = asyncio.create_task(session.get(hash_url))
+    hash_response = await hash_task
+
+    hash_content = await hash_response.read()
+    precreated_hash, precreated_filename = hash_content.split(None, 1)
+    if filename != precreated_filename.strip().decode('utf-8'):
+        raise ValueError(f'Hash file contains hash for a different file: {precreated_filename}')
+
+    return precreated_hash.decode('utf-8')
+
+
+async def get_hash(session, version):
+    calculated_hash = await calculate_hash_from_tarball(session, version)
+    precreated_hash = await parse_hash_from_file(session, version)
+
+    if calculated_hash != precreated_hash:
+        raise ValueError(f'Hash in file ansible-{version}.tar.gz.sha {precreated_hash} does not'
+                         f' match hash of tarball {calculated_hash}')
+
+    return calculated_hash
+
+
+async def get_hashes(versions):
+    hashes = {}
+    requestors = {}
+    async with aiohttp.ClientSession() as aio_session:
+        for version in versions:
+            requestors[version] = asyncio.create_task(get_hash(aio_session, version))
+
+        for version, request in requestors.items():
+            await request
+            hashes[version] = request.result()
+
+    return hashes
+
+
+def next_release_date(weeks=3):
+    days_in_the_future = weeks * 7
+    today = datetime.datetime.now()
+    numeric_today = today.weekday()
+
+    # We release on Thursdays
+    if numeric_today == 3:
+        # 3 is Thursday
+        pass
+    elif numeric_today == 4:
+        # If this is Friday, we can adjust back to Thursday for the next release
+        today -= datetime.timedelta(days=1)
+    elif numeric_today < 3:
+        # Otherwise, slide forward to Thursday
+        today += datetime.timedelta(days=(3 - numeric_today))
+    else:
+        # slightly different formula if it's past Thursday this week.  We need to go forward to
+        # Thursday of next week
+        today += datetime.timedelta(days=(10 - numeric_today))
+
+    next_release = today + datetime.timedelta(days=days_in_the_future)
+    return next_release
+
+
+def generate_long_message(versions, name):
+    hashes = asyncio.run(get_hashes(versions))
+
+    version_template = JINJA_ENV.get_template('version_string')
+    version_str = version_template.render(versions=versions).strip()
+
+    next_release = next_release_date()
+
+    template = JINJA_ENV.get_template('long')
+    message = template.render(versions=versions, version_str=version_str,
+                              name=name, hashes=hashes, next_release=next_release)
+    return message
+
+
+def generate_short_message(versions):
+    version_template = JINJA_ENV.get_template('version_string')
+    version_str = version_template.render(versions=versions).strip()
+
+    template = JINJA_ENV.get_template('short')
+    message = template.render(versions=versions, version_str=version_str)
+    message = ' '.join(message.split()) + '\n'
+    return message
+
+
+def write_message(filename, message):
+    if filename != '-':
+        with open(filename, 'w') as out_file:
+            out_file.write(message)
+    else:
+        sys.stdout.write('\n\n')
+        sys.stdout.write(message)
+
+
+def main():
+    args = parse_args(sys.argv[1:])
+
+    twitter_message = generate_short_message(args.versions)
+    email_message = generate_long_message(args.versions, args.name)
+
+    write_message(args.twitter_out, twitter_message)
+    write_message(args.email_out, email_message)
+
+
+if __name__ == '__main__':
+    main()
diff --git a/test/sanity/code-smell/shebang.py b/test/sanity/code-smell/shebang.py
index 7a64cf16614..e4f534d467b 100755
--- a/test/sanity/code-smell/shebang.py
+++ b/test/sanity/code-smell/shebang.py
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ def main():
         'test/integration/targets/win_module_utils/library/legacy_only_old_way_win_line_ending.ps1',
         'test/utils/shippable/timing.py',
         'test/integration/targets/old_style_modules_posix/library/helloworld.sh',
+        # Python 3-only.  Only run by release engineers
+        'hacking/release-announcement.py',
     ])
 
     # see https://unicode.org/faq/utf_bom.html#bom1
diff --git a/test/sanity/compile/python2.6-skip.txt b/test/sanity/compile/python2.6-skip.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a57ac4a2721
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/sanity/compile/python2.6-skip.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Only run by release engineers who can be asked to have newer Python3 on their systems
+hacking/release-announcement.py
diff --git a/test/sanity/compile/python2.7-skip.txt b/test/sanity/compile/python2.7-skip.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a57ac4a2721
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/sanity/compile/python2.7-skip.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Only run by release engineers who can be asked to have newer Python3 on their systems
+hacking/release-announcement.py
diff --git a/test/sanity/compile/python3.5-skip.txt b/test/sanity/compile/python3.5-skip.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a57ac4a2721
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/sanity/compile/python3.5-skip.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+# Only run by release engineers who can be asked to have newer Python3 on their systems
+hacking/release-announcement.py