First Mining Reports New High-Grade Gold Drill Intercepts from North Zone, South Zone, and Minuit Targets at its Duparquet Project Français

• North Zone Target highlights include DUP25-056 returning 15.14 g/t over 5.0 m, including 73.40 g/t over 1.0m, and 1.88 g/t Au over 16.9 m, including 5.85 g/t Au over 2.70 m, and DUP25-063 returning 2.97 g/t Au over 11.5 m, including 7.04 g/t Au over 1.7 m
• DUP25-061 returns 6.18 g/t Au over 2.95m in South Zone Target
• Minuit Target returns 9.87 g/t Au over 2.75 m, including 17.90 g/t Au over 0.7 m in DUP25-070, and DUP25-076 returns 5.53 g/t Au over 5.3 m, including 19.6 g/t Au over 0.5 m

VANCOUVER, BC, May 19, 2026 /CNW/ - First Mining Gold Corp. ("First Mining" or the "Company") (TSX: FF) (OTCQX: FFMGF) (FRANKFURT: FMG) is pleased to announce final results from the 2025 exploration drilling program at its Duparquet Gold Project ("Duparquet Project" or the "Project") located in the Abitibi region of Quebec, Canada. The results reported herein are from the newly discovered Minuit zone, as well as the North Zone and South Zone targets located along the margins of the Beattie syenite intrusion (Figure 1). Collectively, the recent drilling continues to demonstrate higher grade gold mineralization across multiple targets at the Duparquet Project both along strike and at depth, supported by a geoscience-driven exploration strategy focused on delineating mineralization along the main mineral resource contact zones.

Assay results from the North Zone drilling are highlighted by drill hole DUP25-056 which returned 15.14 g/t Au over 5.0 m, including 73.40 g/t Au over 1.0 m from 64.0 m to 69.0 m, within the existing resource, and 1.88 g/t Au over 16.9 m from 738.2 m to 755.10 m, as well as drill hole DUP25-063 which returned 1.51 g/t Au over 29.0 m from 279.0 m to 308.0 m and 2.97 g/t Au over 11.5 m from 639.5 m to 651.0 m. Assay highlights from the South Zone target include drill hole DUP25-061 returning 6.18 g/t Au over 2.95 m from 649.85 m to 652.8 m. Drill results from the Minuit Zone are highlighted by drill hole DUP25-070 which returned 9.87 g/t Au over 2.75 m from 513.7 m to 516.45 m, as well as drill hole DUP25-076 which returned 5.53 g/t Au over 5.3 m from 632.7 m to 638.0 m, including 19.6 g/t Au over 0.5 m from 632.7 m to 637.5 m.

"The results from our 2025 drilling program at the Duparquet Project continue to refine and strengthen our understanding of the mineralized system across the North Zone, South Zone and newly identified Minuit Zone targets," stated Dan Wilton, CEO of First Mining. "These results continue to demonstrate strong resource growth potential and exploration opportunities along the syenite-mafic volcanic contact which remain open along strike and at depth. We are very encouraged by our 2025 drilling program and look forward to announcing our follow-up plans in our 2026 program."

The latest reported assays represent 4,329 m of drilling across 12 drill holes from a total of 16,577 m of drilling completed during the 2025 campaign. These holes were focused on demonstrating continuity along strike, identifying mineralization controls, and extending target depths. Assay highlights are provided in Table 1, with full list of assay results presented in Table 2. Drill collar details are provided in Table 3. All assay results from the 2025 drilling campaign have now been disclosed.

Table 1: Latest Significant 2025 Drill Intercepts

Additional Details on North Zone, South Zone & Minuit Targets

North Zone

Drilling in the North Zone continues to confirm the presence of higher-grade gold mineralization along the northern contact between the Beattie syenite and adjacent mafic volcanic units. The North Zone drilling strategy is focused on testing both down-plunge and along-strike extensions of mineralization, with a focus on defining potential higher-grade corridors within a broader mineralized envelope.

Previous drilling completed in 2024 included hole DUP24-024 which returned multiple significant intercepts including 10.67 g/t Au over 5.3 m, 6.63 g/t Au over 9.0 m, 3.04 g/t Au over 33.5 m, and 5.97 g/t Au over 33.0 m (see news release from June 18, 2024), highlighting the continuity and higher grade potential of the system.

The syenite and mafic volcanic contact zone displays attributes favourable for higher-grade mineralization which includes strong foliation, areas of breccia with associated silicification, and up to 5% bronze disseminated and wispy pyrite mineralization. These features are interpreted to represent favourable structural and chemical traps for gold deposition.

Results from the 2025 drilling at the North Zone included drill hole DUP25-056 which returned 1.88 g/t Au over 16.90 m including 5.85 g/t Au over 2.7 m (Figure 2). Drill hole DUP25-063 returned 2.97 g/t Au over 11.5 m including 7.04 g/t Au over 1.7 m, and hole DUP25-065 returned 3.09 g/t Au over 6.5 m, and 1.79 g/t Au over 6.9 m, including 5.50 g/t Au over 1.0 m, and 1.67 g/t Au over 5.7 m (Figure 2). The recent drilling was successful in demonstrating continuity of mineralization along the interpreted plunge and continues to provide positive vectors for exploration at depth and along strike.

South Zone 

The South Zone drilling program targeted the down-dip extension of mineralization below the historical Donchester mine workings. Drill holes DUP25-061 and DUP25-062 were some of the deepest holes drilled in the South Zone area and they tested the mineralization to approximately 550 m below the surface and successfully intersected mineralization 80 m below historical mine workings (Figure 3). The drill holes intersected favourable mineralization returning 6.18 g/t Au over 2.95 m and 5.38 g/t Au over 2.0 m in DUP25-061, and 3.78 g/t Au over 2.05 m, including 6.65 g/t Au over 0.75 m in DUP25-062. The drill holes were successful in confirming the continuity of mineralization below the historical Donchester Mine and indicates open exploration opportunities at depth and down plunge.

The mineralization at the South Zone is hosted within intermediate to mafic volcanic units with moderate to strong foliation and strong silicification. The sulphide mineralization consists of up to 5% very fine-grained disseminated and stringer-associated bronze pyrite.

Minuit

The Minuit Zone was initially identified during drilling targeting extensions of mineralization associated with a projected strike and depth extension of the historical Donchester Mine (South Zone), where an entirely blind discovery was encountered in a 70 m faulted zone offset of the main deposit. Drill hole DUP25-059 returned 2.25 g/t Au over 12.8 m, including 4.08 g/t Au over 4.0 m (see press release dated July 14, 2025).

Following the discovery of this target area, interpretations guided a potential 315 m conceptual continuity between DUP25-059, and DUP23-003 which returned 3.47 g/t Au over 7.75 m.

Follow-up drilling was completed with holes DUP25-070, DUP25-075, and DUP25-076 testing the continuity between the previous two intercepts and continuing to intersect favourable mineralization and structures attributed to the target (Figure 3). The target area is considered to have potential to contribute to near term resource growth and will remain a key focus of future exploration drilling.

Drill hole DUP25-070 returned multiple intercepts highlighted by 3.58 g/t Au over 2.05 m, including 6.43 g/t Au over 0.8 m, and 9.87 g/t Au over 2.75 m, including 17.90 g/t Au over 0.7 m. Drill hole DUP25-075 returned 2.34 g/t Au over 6.45 m, including 4.29 g/t Au over 2.60 m, and hole DUP25-076 returned multiple intercepts, highlighted by 4.07 g/t Au over 4.1 m and 5.53 g/t Au over 5.3 m including 19.6 g/t Au over 0.5 m.

Mineralization is within strong to intensely silicified breccia hosted in intermediate to mafic volcanic units which contain up to 10% very fine-grained pyrite and local smoky quartz veins.

Following newly interpreted modelling, drill hole DUP23-004 was extended 173 m during the recent program to intersect the Minuit target further into the footwall while establishing further continuity and repeatability of the newly defined zone. The extension successfully intersected strongly silicified breccia with up to 5-10% very fine-grained bronzy pyrite mineralization with smoky quartz veinlets returning 5.26 g/t Au over 1.0 m, and 3.57 g/t Au over 1.4 m.

In 2025, First Mining completed its largest drill campaign to date at the Duparquet project consisting of 44 drill holes totally 16,576.5 m. The company has now completed an initial 91 drill holes over 35,960 m at the project which yields considerable internal ownership and will support a transition to an overall project advancement strategy which includes initiation of environmental baseline studies, technical program development, and the potential for a future resource update.

Table 2: Latest Assay Results from 2025 Drill Program