diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
index 81f75fb6..0e0b48ad 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -98,6 +98,8 @@ jobs:
           ./gradlew :core:python311Action:distDocker -PdockerRegistry=docker.io -PdockerImagePrefix=openwhisk -PdockerImageTag=$SHORT_COMMIT
           ./gradlew :core:python312Action:distDocker -PdockerRegistry=docker.io -PdockerImagePrefix=openwhisk -PdockerImageTag=nightly
           ./gradlew :core:python312Action:distDocker -PdockerRegistry=docker.io -PdockerImagePrefix=openwhisk -PdockerImageTag=$SHORT_COMMIT
+          ./gradlew :core:python313Action:distDocker -PdockerRegistry=docker.io -PdockerImagePrefix=openwhisk -PdockerImageTag=nightly
+          ./gradlew :core:python313Action:distDocker -PdockerRegistry=docker.io -PdockerImagePrefix=openwhisk -PdockerImageTag=$SHORT_COMMIT
       - name: Push Release Images
         if: ${{ env.PUSH_RELEASE == 'true' }}
         working-directory: runtime
@@ -112,5 +114,7 @@ jobs:
             RUNTIME="python311Action"
           elif [ ${RUNTIME_VERSION} == "312" ]; then
             RUNTIME="python312Action"
+          elif [ ${RUNTIME_VERSION} == "313" ]; then
+            RUNTIME="python313Action"
           fi
           ./gradlew :core:$RUNTIME:distDocker -PdockerRegistry=docker.io -PdockerImagePrefix=openwhisk -PdockerImageTag=$IMAGE_TAG
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 4859a026..1cc244aa 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ The following Python runtime versions (with kind & image labels) are generated b
 - Python 3.10 (python:3.10 & openwhisk/action-python-v3.10)
 - Python 3.11 (python:3.11 & openwhisk/action-python-v3.11)
 - Python 3.12 (python:3.12 & openwhisk/action-python-v3.12)
+- Python 3.13 (python:3.13 & openwhisk/action-python-v3.13)
 
 This README documents the build, customization and testing of these runtime images.
 
diff --git a/core/CHANGELOG.md b/core/CHANGELOG.md
index ab9f5d52..8de756ec 100644
--- a/core/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/core/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@
 
 # Python 3 OpenWhisk Runtime Container
 
+## Next
+ - add Python 3.13
+ - update Python 3.9 base image to bookworm
+
 ## 1.20.0
  - Dependabot Fixes (#159)
  - Update virtualenv for python:3.9 to fix tests. (#161)
diff --git a/core/python313Action/Dockerfile b/core/python313Action/Dockerfile
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..64071c98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/python313Action/Dockerfile
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+#
+# Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+# contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+# this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+# The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+# (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+# the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+#
+
+# build go proxy from source
+FROM golang:1.24 AS builder_source
+ARG GO_PROXY_GITHUB_USER=apache
+ARG GO_PROXY_GITHUB_BRANCH=master
+RUN git clone --branch ${GO_PROXY_GITHUB_BRANCH} \
+   https://github.com/${GO_PROXY_GITHUB_USER}/openwhisk-runtime-go /src ;\
+   cd /src ; env GO111MODULE=on CGO_ENABLED=0 go build main/proxy.go && \
+   mv proxy /bin/proxy
+
+# or build it from a release
+FROM golang:1.24 AS builder_release
+ARG GO_PROXY_RELEASE_VERSION=1.23@1.25.0
+ARG GO_PROXY_GITHUB_USER=apache
+RUN curl -sL \
+  https://github.com/${GO_PROXY_GITHUB_USER}/openwhisk-runtime-go/archive/{$GO_PROXY_RELEASE_VERSION}.tar.gz\
+  | tar xzf -\
+  && cd openwhisk-runtime-go-*/main\
+  && GO111MODULE=on CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -o /bin/proxy
+
+FROM python:3.13-bookworm
+
+# select the builder to use
+ARG GO_PROXY_BUILD_FROM=release
+
+# install zip
+RUN apt-get update && apt-get install -y zip gcc \
+    && rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/*
+
+# Install common modules for python
+COPY requirements_common.txt requirements_common.txt
+COPY requirements.txt requirements.txt
+RUN pip3 install --upgrade pip six wheel &&\
+    pip3 install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt
+
+RUN mkdir -p /action
+WORKDIR /
+
+COPY --from=builder_source /bin/proxy /bin/proxy_source
+COPY --from=builder_release /bin/proxy /bin/proxy_release
+RUN mv /bin/proxy_${GO_PROXY_BUILD_FROM} /bin/proxy
+
+ADD bin/compile /bin/compile
+ADD lib/launcher.py /lib/launcher.py
+
+# log initialization errors
+ENV OW_LOG_INIT_ERROR=1
+# the launcher must wait for an ack
+ENV OW_WAIT_FOR_ACK=1
+# using the runtime name to identify the execution environment
+ENV OW_EXECUTION_ENV=openwhisk/action-python-v3.12
+# compiler script
+ENV OW_COMPILER=/bin/compile
+
+ENTRYPOINT ["/bin/proxy"]
diff --git a/core/python313Action/build.gradle b/core/python313Action/build.gradle
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f820c31c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/python313Action/build.gradle
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+ext.dockerImageName = 'action-python-v3.13'
+apply from: '../../gradle/docker.gradle'
+
+distDocker.dependsOn 'copyLib'
+distDocker.dependsOn 'copyBin'
+distDocker.dependsOn 'copyReqrCommon'
+distDocker.finalizedBy('cleanup')
+
+task copyLib(type: Copy) {
+    from '../python3Action/lib'
+    into './lib'
+}
+
+task copyBin(type: Copy) {
+    from '../python3Action/bin'
+    into './bin'
+}
+
+task copyReqrCommon(type: Copy) {
+    from '../requirements_common.txt'
+    into './'
+}
+
+task cleanup(type: Delete) {
+    delete 'bin'
+    delete 'lib'
+    delete 'requirements_common.txt'
+}
diff --git a/core/python313Action/requirements.txt b/core/python313Action/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9210016f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/python313Action/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# default packages available for action-python-v3.12
+#-r requirements_common.txt
+beautifulsoup4==4.12.3
+httplib2==0.22.0
+kafka_python==2.0.2
+lxml==5.1.0
+python-dateutil==2.8.2
+requests==2.31.0
+scrapy==2.11.2
+simplejson==3.19.2
+virtualenv==20.25.0
+twisted==24.7.0
+netifaces==0.11.0
+# fix issue: SetuptoolsDeprecationWarning: setup.py install is deprecated. Use build and pip and other standards-based tools
+setuptools == 70.0.0
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/core/python39Action/Dockerfile b/core/python39Action/Dockerfile
index b654f977..310153b7 100644
--- a/core/python39Action/Dockerfile
+++ b/core/python39Action/Dockerfile
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ RUN curl -sL \
   && cd openwhisk-runtime-go-*/main\
   && GO111MODULE=on CGO_ENABLED=0 go build -o /bin/proxy
 
-FROM python:3.9-buster
+FROM python:3.9-bookworm
 
 # select the builder to use
 ARG GO_PROXY_BUILD_FROM=release
diff --git a/settings.gradle b/settings.gradle
index 9070b13a..d21803ce 100644
--- a/settings.gradle
+++ b/settings.gradle
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ include 'core:python39Action'
 include 'core:python310Action'
 include 'core:python311Action'
 include 'core:python312Action'
+include 'core:python313Action'
 
 rootProject.name = 'runtime-python'
 
diff --git a/tests/src/test/scala/runtime/actionContainers/Python313Tests.scala b/tests/src/test/scala/runtime/actionContainers/Python313Tests.scala
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..40e4853c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/src/test/scala/runtime/actionContainers/Python313Tests.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ *     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+package runtime.actionContainers
+
+import org.junit.runner.RunWith
+import org.scalatest.junit.JUnitRunner
+
+@RunWith(classOf[JUnitRunner])
+class Python313Tests extends Python3Tests {
+
+  override lazy val imageName = "action-python-v3.13"
+
+  override lazy val zipPrefix = "python-v3.13"
+
+  override lazy val errorCodeOnRun = false
+
+  override val testNoSource = TestConfig("", hasCodeStub = false)
+}