Reward Minerals Ltd has received statutory approval from the Newfoundland and Labrador Government to undertake a maiden diamond drilling program at its Mountain Pond Gold Project in Canada.

The approved program allows for up to seven holes totaling approximately 600 metres of HQ-oriented core at the Jackpot Au-Cu Prospect. The work tests depth and strike extensions of the known outcropping gold-copper mineralised quartz vein and associated eight-metre-wide shear zone. Historic rock chip sampling returned assays up to 23.77 grams per tonne gold and 7.48 percent copper, while recent confirmation sampling returned up to 8.16 grams per tonne gold with 0.27 percent copper.

Reward acquired Mountain Pond in February 2026 and completed data compilation, historical interpretation, and systematic sampling to clear the regulatory hurdle.

“Being on the verge of the first-ever drill program at the Jackpot Prospect is an exciting time for the Company. Gold mineralisation was first identified in the area more than 35 years ago, making it remarkable that the prospect has never been drill tested previously.”

— Lorry Hughes, CEO

Site access track refurbishment and drill pad preparation are scheduled to commence on 16 September 2026, with drilling to follow a few days later. The three-week program will see all drill core transported to Reward's Springdale facility for logging, cutting, and sampling.

Recent soil sampling has further refined the gold anomaly at the Bingo Prospect, 400 metres southwest along strike from Jackpot. Sampling also defined a new gold anomaly at the High Stakes Prospect, 800 metres northeast, featuring a peak assay of 378 parts per billion gold. Together, Jackpot, Bingo, and High Stakes define a corridor extending over 1.2 kilometres along the Sullivan Pond Fault trend. Follow-up rock chip sampling is complete at Bingo and High Stakes, with assays expected shortly.

Read the full announcement: Exploration Update Newfoundland