diff --git a/test/images/node-perf/npb-ep/Dockerfile b/test/images/node-perf/npb-ep/Dockerfile
index b808f6742ef..f0566fd490d 100644
--- a/test/images/node-perf/npb-ep/Dockerfile
+++ b/test/images/node-perf/npb-ep/Dockerfile
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ ADD http://www.nas.nasa.gov/assets/npb/NPB3.4.3.tar.gz .
 RUN tar xzf NPB3.4.3.tar.gz && chmod -R a+rX NPB3.4.3
 
 WORKDIR ./NPB3.4.3/NPB3.4-OMP
+
+# Add missing shebangs to shell scripts - required for cross-build with QEMU emulation
+# Without shebangs, dash (default /bin/sh on Debian) fails to execute these scripts via make
+RUN sed -i '1i#!/bin/sh' sys/print_header sys/print_instructions
+
 RUN if [ $(arch) != "x86_64" ]; then \
     sed s/-mcmodel=medium//g config/NAS.samples/make.def_gcc > config/make.def; \
 else \
diff --git a/test/images/node-perf/npb-ep/VERSION b/test/images/node-perf/npb-ep/VERSION
index c239c60cba2..dc1e644a101 100644
--- a/test/images/node-perf/npb-ep/VERSION
+++ b/test/images/node-perf/npb-ep/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.5
+1.6.0
diff --git a/test/images/node-perf/npb-is/Dockerfile b/test/images/node-perf/npb-is/Dockerfile
index 9f85deae60e..cffd827469c 100644
--- a/test/images/node-perf/npb-is/Dockerfile
+++ b/test/images/node-perf/npb-is/Dockerfile
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ RUN tar xzf NPB3.3.1.tar.gz && chmod -R a+rX NPB3.3.1
 
 WORKDIR ./NPB3.3.1/NPB3.3-OMP
 
+# Add missing shebangs to shell scripts - required for cross-build with QEMU emulation
+# Without shebangs, dash (default /bin/sh on Debian) fails to execute these scripts via make
+RUN sed -i '1i#!/bin/sh' sys/print_header sys/print_instructions
+
 # Create build config based on the architecture and build the workload.
 RUN if [ $(arch) != "x86_64" ]; then \
     sed s/-mcmodel=medium//g config/NAS.samples/make.def.gcc_x86 > config/make.def; \
diff --git a/test/images/node-perf/npb-is/VERSION b/test/images/node-perf/npb-is/VERSION
index c068b2447cc..bc80560fad6 100644
--- a/test/images/node-perf/npb-is/VERSION
+++ b/test/images/node-perf/npb-is/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.4
+1.5.0