diff --git a/pkg/api/validation/validation.go b/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
index f85b398cc4f..391f7fba5aa 100644
--- a/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/api/validation/validation.go
@@ -71,13 +71,10 @@ func ValidateAnnotations(annotations map[string]string, field string) errs.Valid
 		if !util.IsQualifiedName(strings.ToLower(k)) {
 			allErrs = append(allErrs, errs.NewFieldInvalid(field, k, qualifiedNameErrorMsg))
 		}
-		if !util.IsValidAnnotationValue(v) {
-			allErrs = append(allErrs, errs.NewFieldInvalid(field, k, ""))
-		}
 		totalSize += (int64)(len(k)) + (int64)(len(v))
 	}
 	if totalSize > (int64)(totalAnnotationSizeLimitB) {
-		allErrs = append(allErrs, errs.NewFieldTooLong("annotations", ""))
+		allErrs = append(allErrs, errs.NewFieldTooLong(field, "", totalAnnotationSizeLimitB))
 	}
 	return allErrs
 }
diff --git a/pkg/util/fielderrors/fielderrors.go b/pkg/util/fielderrors/fielderrors.go
index 7889636807e..3307724a707 100644
--- a/pkg/util/fielderrors/fielderrors.go
+++ b/pkg/util/fielderrors/fielderrors.go
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ var _ error = &ValidationError{}
 func (v *ValidationError) Error() string {
 	var s string
 	switch v.Type {
-	case ValidationErrorTypeRequired:
+	case ValidationErrorTypeRequired, ValidationErrorTypeTooLong:
 		s = spew.Sprintf("%s: %s", v.Field, v.Type)
 	default:
 		s = spew.Sprintf("%s: %s '%+v'", v.Field, v.Type, v.BadValue)
@@ -133,8 +133,8 @@ func NewFieldNotFound(field string, value interface{}) *ValidationError {
 	return &ValidationError{ValidationErrorTypeNotFound, field, value, ""}
 }
 
-func NewFieldTooLong(field string, value interface{}) *ValidationError {
-	return &ValidationError{ValidationErrorTypeTooLong, field, value, ""}
+func NewFieldTooLong(field string, value interface{}, maxLength int) *ValidationError {
+	return &ValidationError{ValidationErrorTypeTooLong, field, value, fmt.Sprintf("must have at most %d characters", maxLength)}
 }
 
 type ValidationErrorList []error
diff --git a/pkg/util/validation.go b/pkg/util/validation.go
index 73a59e2bbf5..eb466be7c5b 100644
--- a/pkg/util/validation.go
+++ b/pkg/util/validation.go
@@ -33,11 +33,6 @@ func IsValidLabelValue(value string) bool {
 	return (len(value) <= LabelValueMaxLength && labelValueRegexp.MatchString(value))
 }
 
-// Annotation values are opaque.
-func IsValidAnnotationValue(value string) bool {
-	return true
-}
-
 const QualifiedNameFmt string = "(" + qnameTokenFmt + "/)?" + qnameTokenFmt
 const QualifiedNameMaxLength int = 253