Epic Gold Expands High-Grade Gold Corridor, Advances District-Scale Hawkins Exploration Model and Appoints VP, Exploration

Toronto, Ontario–(Newsfile Corp. – October 6, 2026) – Epic Gold Corp. (CSE: EPG) (OTCQB: NFLDF) (FSE: 6341) (“Epic Gold” or the “Company“) is pleased to provide an update on its ongoing technical review, target generation and field activities at the Hawkins Project in northwestern Ontario.

The Hawkins Project comprises 1,266 mineral claims covering approximately 26,803 hectares within the underexplored Kabinakagami Greenstone Belt. Historical exploration identified significant gold and base metal mineralization across the property; however, individual occurrences were largely explored in isolation.

Epic’s integration of historical work and recent field results is providing a broader picture. The Company’s work indicates that multiple mineralized occurrences may form part of a larger district-scale gold and base metal system, rather than representing isolated showings (Figure 1).

Across the currently identified 15-kilometre mineralized corridor, Epic has defined multiple priority target areas and is using this broader geological framework to evaluate extensions to known mineralization, identify new discoveries and prioritize targets for drilling. P&E Mining Consultants Inc. has been engaged to update the Mineral Resource Estimate for the McKinnon Gold Zone, providing a parallel path to evaluate resource expansion alongside continued exploration.

Highlights

• Goldfields: Channel CH-26-001 returned 9.42 g/t Au over 11.0 metres, including 32.5 g/t Au over 1.0 metre and 64.7 g/t Au over 1.0 metre.
• New High-Grade Mineralization: Grab samples returned up to 72.1 g/t Au from a 15 m-wide mineralized tonalite outcrop approximately 300 m east of all historical McKinnon drilling.
• McKinnon Resource: Historical inferred resource of 328,800 oz Au @ 1.65 g/t Au*, with P&E Mining Consultants Inc. engaged to complete an updated NI 43-101 MRE that is targeted for November 2026.
• Permitting: Early Exploration Permit approved, positioning Epic to advance Phase I diamond drilling across priority Hawkins targets

“The more work we do at Hawkins, the more it appears we may be dealing with a large mineralized system rather than a collection of isolated showings,” said Mark Richardson, Vice President of Exploration. “Historical exploration successfully identified numerous mineralized occurrences, but much of the work was completed before the benefit of modern geological modelling, high-resolution datasets, and a district-scale understanding of the property.”

The Kabinakagami Greenstone Belt remains one of the least systematically explored Archean greenstone belts in Ontario. Despite a long history of prospecting, trenching, drilling, and geophysical surveys, much of the Hawkins Project has not been evaluated using modern exploration models, integrated GIS compilation, or district-scale structural interpretation.

Figure 1. The currently identified 15-kilometre mineralized corridor represents only a portion of a broader district-scale structural system that extends for approximately 60 kilometres across the Hawkins Property and remains largely untested by modern exploration.

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Summer exploration work

Epic completed five weeks of prospecting, geological mapping, rock and channel sampling, and target evaluation across the Debroy, Goldfields, Johnstone-Barnes, McKinnon, and Fold-nose target areas. Initial assay results have confirmed high-grade surface mineralization at Debroy and Goldfields, validating historical results and advancing multiple priority targets toward drill testing (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Hawkins East Corridor showing the 2.35 km historically untested trend from West-Debroy to Seaview, including 2026 grab samples grading 65.0 g/t Au and 72.1 g/t Au.

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Channel CH-26-001 was completed across a mineralized exposure at the Goldfields target to evaluate the continuity of gold mineralization exposed at surface. The channel was cut perpendicular to the dominant structural fabric across an approximately 11 m exposure and returned 9.42 g/t Au over 11.0 metres, confirming the presence of high-grade gold mineralization within the Goldfields system. True widths are currently unknown.

Channel Sample Results – CH-26-001

Channel Information

Coordinates are NAD83 / UTM Zone 16N.

Initial grab sampling identified several new high-grade occurrences at Goldfields and West Debroy, including assays of up to 72.1 g/t Au. These samples were collected from well-exposed bedrock and will be followed up through additional mapping, channel sampling and drilling (Figure 3).

Significant grab samples

Coordinates are NAD83 / UTM Zone 16N.

Figure 3. Approximately 15 m-wide exposed tonalite outcrop approximately 300 m east of all historical drilling of McKinnon. The outcrop exhibits strong foliation, quartz veining, and localized sulphide mineralization, from which initial grab samples returned 65.0 g/t Au.

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Next Steps

The Company’s 2026 exploration program continues to integrate current and historical work to refine the geological model and prioritize drill targets across the Hawkins Project.

1. McKinnon Resource Update: Advance work toward an updated MRE for the McKinnon Gold Zone, incorporating the Company’s ongoing review and validation of historical data.
2. Follow-up Exploration: Additional mapping, prospecting and channel sampling across priority target areas.
3. Goldfields and Debroy-McKinnon: Evaluate the continuity and extent of recently identified high-grade mineralization.
4. Target Generation: Integrate pending assay results and new geological information into the district-scale exploration model.
5. Diamond Drilling: Advance priority targets toward Phase I drill testing, with a focus on testing extensions to known mineralization and new discovery opportunities.

Permitting

Epic has received approval for its Early Exploration Permit for the Hawkins Project, authorizing planned mechanized drilling and associated exploration activities. With the permit now in place, the Company is advancing priority targets at McKinnon, Debroy and Goldfields toward Phase I diamond drilling.

Updated MRE

Since completion of the 2020 NI 43-101 Technical Report, a total of 40 additional drill holes totaling 13,145 metres have been completed at the McKinnon Deposit. This drilling will be incorporated into the updated Mineral Resource Estimate, together with updated geological modelling and an evaluation of lower cut-off grades, significantly expanding the drill database and allowing the deposit to be assessed under a broader range of resource parameters. The Company expects delivery of the updated Mineral Resource Estimate by November 2026.

Epic Appoints Mark Richardson as Vice President, Exploration

In conjunction with the advancement of its exploration portfolio, Epic is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark W. Richardson, M.Sc., P.Geo., as Vice President, Exploration.

Mr. Richardson has more than a decade of mineral exploration experience across Canada and has played a leading role in advancing the Company’s technical and exploration initiatives. Throughout his career, he has managed and executed exploration programs focused on gold, uranium and base metals.

As Vice President, Exploration, Mr. Richardson will lead Epic’s exploration strategy and oversee the Company’s geological and technical programs, with a focus on advancing its portfolio from discovery through resource growth.

Rod Husband, President and CEO, commented:

“Mark has made a significant impact at Hawkins in a very short period. His ability to understand the geological story, integrate historical and new data, and translate that work into high-priority exploration targets has helped reshape our understanding of the project’s district-scale potential. We are very pleased to have Mark take on the role of Vice President, Exploration as we continue to advance Hawkins and the broader Epic portfolio.”

Exploration Thesis

The Company’s exploration thesis is that the known mineralization at Hawkins represents part of a larger, continuous mineralized system with potential to extend beyond the limits of the historical McKinnon resource, while additional gold and base metal occurrences across the property may represent components of a broader district-scale system.

Recent surface sampling has identified higher-grade gold mineralization to the east of McKinnon, suggesting the tenor of gold may vary along the system. Together with the geological and structural continuity observed across Hawkins, these results are being used to evaluate resource expansion, higher-grade targets and new discoveries across the broader mineralized system.

Detailed geological and Micro-XRF observations supporting this interpretation are provided in Appendix – Figure 1.

Priority Target Areas

*McKinnon Historical MRE

The McKinnon Gold Zone hosts a historical inferred mineral resource estimate of 6.2 million tonnes grading 1.65 g/t Au, containing 328,800 ounces of gold, as disclosed in the “Technical Report and Updated Mineral Resource Estimate on the Hawkins Gold Project” prepared by P&E Mining Consultants Inc. for E2Gold Inc., effective September 10, 2020.

The historical estimate is considered historical in nature under NI 43-101. A Qualified Person has not completed sufficient work to classify the estimate as a current mineral resource, and the Company is not treating it as current. The historical estimate should not be relied upon as current.

Sampling and QA/QC

The high-grade results are from selective grab samples and are not necessarily representative of average grade or continuity. Follow-up chip, channel and grab sampling did not consistently reproduce the highest grades but returned anomalous gold values that support continued exploration.

Approximately 465 surface samples were collected in 2026 (Appendix B), with anomalous gold appearing to cluster near interpreted NNW-trending structures intersecting the Puskuta Deformation Zone. These areas remain priority targets for follow-up mapping, sampling and drilling.

Samples were submitted to ALS Laboratories for analysis. Gold was determined by fire assay with an atomic absorption finish (Au-AA23/Au-AA24), with over-limit samples re-analyzed by fire assay with a gravimetric finish (Au-GRA21).

The Company intends to undertake additional verification work in areas returning high-grade gold, including systematic resampling and/or channel sampling where suitable exposure is available. The variability between selective grab samples and more systematic sampling is being evaluated as part of the ongoing geological interpretation.

Figure 4. Distribution of 2026 Hawkins surface samples, showing anomalous gold clustering near interpreted NNW-trending structures intersecting the Puskuta Deformation Zone. These areas remain priority targets for follow-up mapping, sampling and drilling.

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Qualified Person

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Mark Richardson, P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.

About Epic Gold Corp.

Epic Gold Corp is a Canadian gold exploration company advancing a portfolio of high-quality assets in Tier-1 jurisdictions. Led by an experienced team, the Company is focused on value creation through discovery and strategic transactions.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Regulation Service Provider (as the term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding exploration plans, pending assay results, target generation, geological interpretation, potential drill testing, potential resource updates, and the potential for the Hawkins Project to host a broader district-scale mineralized system. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including exploration risk, assay delays, commodity price volatility, financing risk, permitting and regulatory matters, and general market conditions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements except as required by applicable securities laws.

Appendix – Figure 1

Examples of deformation, sulphide mineralization, and gold mineralization observed at the Hawkins Project. (A) Folded volcanic-sedimentary rocks containing exhalative horizons and quartz-sulphide veining. (B) Micro-XRF elemental map of a sulphide-bearing sample. (C) Sheared and altered mafic volcanic rocks with localized sulphide mineralization. (D) Quartz-sulphide vein. (E) Micro-XRF elemental map showing sulphide mineralization and associated gold. (F) Gold elemental map highlighting fine-grained gold. (G) Detailed Micro-XRF image showing gold associated with sulphide minerals.

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Appendix – B