diff --git a/jupyter-js-widgets/package.json b/jupyter-js-widgets/package.json
index 5dc9bea0e00..1b8613a8775 100644
--- a/jupyter-js-widgets/package.json
+++ b/jupyter-js-widgets/package.json
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@
     "font-awesome": "^4.5.0",
     "jquery": "^3.1.1",
     "jquery-ui": "^1.12.1",
-    "jupyter-widgets-schema": "^0.1.1",
+    "jupyter-widgets-schema": "^0.2.0",
     "lolex": "^1.4.0",
     "scriptjs": "^2.5.8",
     "semver": "^5.1.0",
diff --git a/jupyter-js-widgets/src-embed/embed-webpack.ts b/jupyter-js-widgets/src-embed/embed-webpack.ts
index ce5f4416e9d..e2a3b2c3f5d 100644
--- a/jupyter-js-widgets/src-embed/embed-webpack.ts
+++ b/jupyter-js-widgets/src-embed/embed-webpack.ts
@@ -19,8 +19,8 @@ require('../css/widgets.css');
 
 // Load json schema validator
 var Ajv = require('ajv');
-var widget_state_schema = require('jupyter-widgets-schema').v1.state;
-var widget_view_schema = require('jupyter-widgets-schema').v1.view;
+var widget_state_schema = require('jupyter-widgets-schema').v2.state;
+var widget_view_schema = require('jupyter-widgets-schema').v2.view;
 
 // Magic global widget rendering function:
 import * as widgets from '../../jupyter-js-widgets/lib/index';
diff --git a/jupyter-widgets-schema/package.json b/jupyter-widgets-schema/package.json
index 9a47ac1bd01..55c749b1399 100644
--- a/jupyter-widgets-schema/package.json
+++ b/jupyter-widgets-schema/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "jupyter-widgets-schema",
-  "version": "0.1.1",
+  "version": "0.2.0",
   "description": "Schemas for the Jupyter interactive Widgets",
   "main": "index.js",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/jupyter-widgets-schema/v2/state.schema.json b/jupyter-widgets-schema/v2/state.schema.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..97913289842
--- /dev/null
+++ b/jupyter-widgets-schema/v2/state.schema.json
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+{
+    "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-04/schema#",
+    "description": "Jupyter Interactive Widget State JSON schema.",
+    "type": "object",
+    "properties" : {
+        "version_major" : {
+            "description": "Format version (major)",
+            "type": "number",
+            "minimum": 2,
+            "maximum": 2
+        },
+        "version_minor" : {
+            "description": "Format version (minor)",
+            "type": "number"
+        },
+        "state": {
+            "description": "Model State for All Widget Models",
+            "type": "object",
+            "additionalProperties" : {
+                "type": "object",
+                "properties": {
+                    "model_name": {
+                        "description" : "Name of the JavaScript class holding the model implementation",
+                        "type": "string"
+                    },
+                    "model_module": {
+                        "description" : "Name of the JavaScript module holding the model implementation",
+                        "type": "string"
+                    },
+                    "model_module_version": {
+                        "description" : "Semver range for the JavaScript module holding the model implementation",
+                        "type": "string"
+                    },
+                    "state": {
+                        "description" : "Serialized state of the model",
+                        "type": "object"
+                    },
+                    "buffer_paths": {
+                        "description" : "Array of paths in the state for the corresponding buffers",
+                        "type": "array",
+                        "items": {
+                            "description": "A path for a binary buffer value.",
+                            "type": "array",
+                            "items": {
+                                "description": "An object key or array index",
+                                "anyOf": [{"type": "string"}, {"type": "number"}]
+                            }
+                        }
+                    },
+                    "buffers": {
+                        "description" : "Array of base64-encoded binary buffers",
+                        "type": "array",
+                        "items": {
+                            "description": "A base64-encoded binary buffer",
+                            "type": "string"
+                        }
+                    }
+                },
+                "required": [ "model_name", "model_module", "state" ]
+            }
+        }
+    },
+    "required": [ "version_major", "version_minor", "state" ]
+}
diff --git a/jupyter-widgets-schema/v2/view.schema.json b/jupyter-widgets-schema/v2/view.schema.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..66ae9222961
--- /dev/null
+++ b/jupyter-widgets-schema/v2/view.schema.json
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+{
+    "$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-04/schema#",
+    "description": "Jupyter Interactive Widget View JSON schema.",
+    "type": "object",
+    "properties" : {
+        "version_major" : {
+            "description": "Format version (major)",
+            "type": "number",
+            "minimum": 2,
+            "maximum": 2
+        },
+        "version_minor" : {
+            "description": "Format version (minor)",
+            "type": "number"
+        },
+        "model_id": {
+            "description": "Unique identifier of the widget model to be displayed",
+            "type": "string"
+        }
+    },
+    "required": [ "model_id" ]
+}
diff --git a/widgetsnbextension/src/embed_widgets.js b/widgetsnbextension/src/embed_widgets.js
index 1ea2a71dbca..b887afa37d0 100644
--- a/widgetsnbextension/src/embed_widgets.js
+++ b/widgetsnbextension/src/embed_widgets.js
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ var embed_widgets = function() {
                 'drop_defaults': true
             }).then(function(state) {
                 var data = JSON.stringify({
-                    version_major: 1,
+                    version_major: 2,
                     version_minor: 0,
                     state: state
                 }, null, '    ');
diff --git a/widgetsnbextension/src/manager.js b/widgetsnbextension/src/manager.js
index 402ef749363..ed34b6d0336 100644
--- a/widgetsnbextension/src/manager.js
+++ b/widgetsnbextension/src/manager.js
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ WidgetManager.prototype._init_actions = function() {
             }).then(function(state) {
                 Jupyter.notebook.metadata.widgets = {
                     'application/vnd.jupyter.widget-state+json' : {
-                        version_major: 1,
+                        version_major: 2,
                         version_minor: 0,
                         state: state
                     }