Mr. Sean Charland reports

APEX DRILLS 23.1 M OF 3.47% REO WITHIN BROADER ZONE OF 137.2 M AT 2.01% REO, EXTENDING MINERALIZATION 180 M IN WESTERN STEP-OUT AT THE RIFT RARE EARTH PROJECT

Apex Critical Metals Corp. has released the assay results from drill holes RIFT26-004 and RIFT26-005A and partial results from RIFT26-006 (162.2 to 500.8 metres) at its strategic 100-per-cent-controlled Rift rare earth project within the Elk Creek carbonatite complex in southeastern Nebraska, United States.

Highlights:

• RIFT26-005A, an approximately 180-metre western stepout from RIFT26-003 (80.0 m at 2.29 per cent REO (rare earth oxides), including 23.7 m at 4.02 per cent REO; see news release dated April 28, 2026) expanding the upper high-grade REO horizon (herein termed Trinity zone):
  • 137.2 m at 2.01 per cent REO from 252.6 m depth:
    • Including 80.0 m at 2.51 per cent, or 23.1 m at 3.47 per cent, or 11.0 m at 4.39 per cent REO;
  • Numerous samples within the 137.2-metre interval grading greater than 4.00 per cent REO, to a maximum of 6.59 per cent REO;
• RIFT26-006:
  • 43.8 m of 2.75 per cent REO, including 34.1 m of 3.05 per cent REO, within a broader mineralized envelope (210.0 m at 1.33 per cent REO);
• Trinity zone is interpreted to dip shallowly to the west and remains strongly associated with hematite alteration observed within the carbonatite;
• Trinity zone is now defined over an approximately 300-metre strike length and an approximately 180-metre downdip; successive stepout drill holes continue to demonstrate strong continuity of high-grade REO mineralization, with RIFT26-005A returning the strongest width-times-grade intercept of the 2026 program to date:
  • The high-grade Trinity zone remains open in all directions.

Sean Charland, chief executive officer of Apex Critical Metals, commented: "The results from these three stepout drill holes, including our best grade-times-width results to date, continues to demonstrate the extension and expansion potential of the upper high-grade REO horizon (Trinity zone). The growing mineralized footprint and consistency observed from assay results to date increases confidence in the shallow west-dipping Trinity zone and future targeting, with mineralization remaining open in all directions. With a significant volume of assays still pending and two rigs still actively turning, we are well positioned to delineate mineralization well beyond the early successes from our 2026 drill campaign."

Key observations and take-aways

Assay results from RIFT26-004, RIFT26-005A and RIFT26-006 confirm continuity of the upper high-grade REO horizon at depth, herein termed the Trinity zone. The Trinity zone is now interpreted to dip shallowly to the west and remains strongly associated with hematite alteration within the host carbonatite, consistent with observations across all previously reported drill holes (see news releases dated April 7, 2026, and April 28, 2026).

RIFT26-005A was designed as an approximately 180-metre western stepout of RIFT26-003, which returned 80.0 m at 2.29 per cent REO, including 23.7 m at 4.02 per cent REO, in the Trinity zone (See news release dated April 28, 2026). Drill hole RIFT26-005A successfully intersected the Trinity zone at depth, returning an even broader interval at greater than 2 per cent REO (137.2 m at 2.01 per cent REO from 252.6 m depth), including 23.1 m at 3.47 per cent REO from 290.5 m or 11.8 m at 4.23 per cent REO from 301.7 m (see Table 2).

RIFT26-004 and RIFT26-006 were drilled from the same drill pad at different orientations, targeting the western extension of the Trinity zone previously intersected in RIFT26-001A (45.0 m at 2.07 per cent REO, including 24.9 m at 2.40 per cent REO (see news release dated April 28, 2026) and historical drill hole NEC11-004 (see news release dated Oct. 1, 2025). RIFT26-006 intersected a broad, continuous interval of 210.0 m at 1.33 per cent REO from 191.8 m depth, with two distinct higher-grade zones of 43.2 m at 1.61 per cent REO and 43.8 m at 2.75 per cent REO, including 34.1 m at 3.05 per cent REO (Table 2). RIFT26-004 intersected the Trinity zone over two discrete intervals: 15.6 m at 2.10 per cent REO from 216.5 m and a second interval of 18.8 m at 2.01 per cent REO from 320.6 m depth (Table 2).

Results from these three drill holes, together with historical and previously reported results from RIFT26-002 (81.6 m at 2.02 per cent REO, including 50.9 m at 2.40 per cent REO -- see news release dated April 7, 2026), RIFT26-001A and RIFT26-003, demonstrate that the Trinity zone maintains grade and continuity over an approximately 300-metre strike length within the greater 700-metre mineralized corridor. Coupled with the elevated NdPr distributions previously reported from the underlying Neo zone (see news release dated May 6, 2026), these results reinforce the potential for a significant multihorizon rare-earth-mineralized system at the Rift project.

Program status and next steps

The company has completed additional drill holes designed to further test the extent of mineralization along strike and at depth, with assay results pending. Continuing refinement of the 3-D geological model, including integration of assay results as received, will support improved understanding of the mineralized system and help prioritize future drill targeting. The 2026 drill program remains continuing, with a total of 15 drill holes completed to date for approximately 11,000 m, with assays currently pending for nine drill holes.

Quality assurance/quality control

All drilling was completed using one truck and one track-mounted diamond drill rig with HQ-size core and all drill core samples have been or will be shipped to Activation Laboratories Ltd. (Actlabs) preparation facility in Ancaster, Ont., for standard sample preparation (code RX1), which includes drying, crushing (less than seven kilograms) up to 80 per cent passing two millimetres, riffle splitting (250 grams) and pulverizing (mild steel) to 95 per cent passing 105 micrometres. The samples were subsequently analyzed using Code 8 by XRF Nb2O5, ZrO2 and Ta2O5 (0.003 per cent), Code 8 -- REE assay (lithium metaborate/tetraborate fusion with subsequent analysis by ICP and ICP/MS). Drill core was saw cut, with half-core sent for geochemical analysis and half-core remaining in the box on site.

A quality assurance/quality control protocol was incorporated into the program and included the insertion of certified reference material and silica blanks at a rate of approximately 5 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively. Additional analysis of pulp-split and reject-split sample duplicates was also completed at a rate of approximately 5 per cent and 2.5 per cent, respectively, to assess analytical precision at different stages. Actlabs Canada is independent of the company.

Management cautions that the interception of carbonatite and associated hematite alteration is not necessarily indicative of mineralization. Assay results are required to confirm the presence, grade and significance of any mineralization. All intercepts reported in this news release represent core length (apparent width). True widths have not yet been determined.

Qualified person

The technical content of this news release has been reviewed and approved by Nathan Schmidt, PGeo, a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101, Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Schmidt is a geologist with Dahrouge Geological Consulting Ltd., the consulting firm engaged by Apex Critical Metals to conduct and oversee all of the company's exploration work, including the 2026 drill program.

Mr. Schmidt has verified all scientific and technical data disclosed in this news release, including the sampling and QA/QC results, and certified analytical data underlying the technical information disclosed. Mr. Schmidt noted no errors or omissions during the data verification process. The company and Mr. Schmidt do not recognize any factors of sampling or recovery that could materially affect the accuracy or reliability of the assay data disclosed in this news release.

About Apex Critical Metals Corp.

Apex Critical Metals is a Canadian exploration company focused on advancing rare earth element (REE) and niobium projects that support the growing demand for critical and strategic metals across the United States and Canada. The company's flagship Rift project, located within the highly prospective Elk Creek carbonatite complex in Nebraska, United States, hosts extensive rare earth rights surrounding one of North America's most advanced niobium/REE deposits. Historical drilling across the complex has reported broad intervals of high-grade REE mineralization, including intercepts such as 155.5 metres of 2.70 per cent REO (rare earth oxides) and 68.2 metres of 3.32 per cent REO. Phase I stepout drill holes at Rift have expanded the footprint of the high-grade mineralization over approximately 275.0 metres from the historical drill holes with 23.7 metres of 4.02 per cent REO and multiple broad intervals of greater than 2.00 per cent REO. Additionally, phase I drilling has delineated a new zone of strongly elevated NdPr (neodymium-praseodymium) beneath the high-grade material that extends for approximately 390 metres with 13.5 metres of 1.08 per cent REO at 31.7 per cent NdPr and 10.9 metres of 0.99 per cent REO and 30.1 per cent NdPr within a broader zone of 22.7 metres of 0.79 per cent REO at 32.8 per cent NdPr.

In Canada, Apex continues to advance its 100-per-cent-owned Cap project, located 85 kilometres northeast of Prince George, B.C. The 2025 drill program confirmed a significant niobium discovery with 0.59 per cent Nb2O5 (niobium pentoxide) over 36 metres, including 1.08 per cent Nb2O5 over 10 metres, within a 1.8-kilometre-long niobium trend. The Cap project continues to demonstrate strong potential for niobium mineralization within a large and previously unrecognized carbonatite system.

With a growing portfolio of critical mineral projects in both Canada and the United States, Apex Critical Metals is strategically positioned to help strengthen domestic supply chains for the minerals essential to advanced technologies, clean energy and national security. Apex is publicly listed in Canada on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol APXC and quoted on the OTCQX market in the United States under the symbol APXCF and in Germany on the Borse Frankfurt under the symbol KL9 and/or WKN: A40CCQ.

We seek Safe Harbor.