First Mining Commences 2026 Drilling Campaign and Signs Milestone Drilling Partnership with Forage Anicinape at the Duparquet Gold Project

VANCOUVER, BC, May 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - First Mining Gold Corp. ("First Mining" or the "Company") (TSX: FF) (OTCQX: FFMGF) (FRANKFURT: FMG) is pleased to announce the commencement of project activities and the signing of a new drilling partnership at its Duparquet Gold Project ("Duparquet Project" or the "Project") located in the Abitibi region of Quebec, Canada, with Forage Anicinape ("Forage Anicinape"), an Indigenous-led drilling company established through a partnership between Forages Rouillier and the Coopérative de solidarité de Pikogan, representing the Pikogan First Nation. The partnership reflects First Mining's continued focus on building meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and businesses while advancing exploration and development activities at Duparquet.

First Mining's initial 2026 drill campaign at Duparquet is expected to total approximately 12,000 metres and will focus on increasing resource confidence, advancing exploration of resource growth opportunities, and supporting future economic and technical studies through geotechnical, metallurgical, hydrogeological and other technical drilling programs. The campaign builds on the last three years of successful exploration and project advancement work the Company has completed at Duparquet.

"We are pleased to partner and be an out-of-the-gate client with Forage Anicinape as we continue advancing the Duparquet Project," said Dan Wilton, CEO of First Mining. "Developing strong partnerships with Indigenous communities and businesses is an important part of how we operate and how we advance our projects with a responsibility directly aimed at seeking meaningful Indigenous participation. This collaboration reflects our commitment to creating long-term opportunities and shared success as we continue to advance the Duparquet Project."

"We are proud to begin this partnership with First Mining at the Duparquet Project," said Kenny Ruperthouse, General Manager of Coopérative de solidarité de Pikogan. "Forage Anicinape was created to build meaningful opportunities for Indigenous workers and communities through responsible mineral exploration activities. This partnership represents an important step in strengthening Indigenous participation in the mining sector while contributing to economic development and workforce growth in the region."

Forage Anicinape was established in 2024 by Forages Rouillier in collaboration with the Coopérative de solidarité de Pikogan as part of a broader commitment to strengthening Indigenous participation in mineral exploration activities in Québec.

The 2026 drilling program commenced in Q2 2026 and will advance utilising two diamond drill rigs throughout the year, and will include follow-up drilling at the Miroir target, a key priority area and growth target following encouraging results from the 2025 drilling program released in March. Highlights from that program include drill hole DUP25-085 returning 3.74 g/t Au over 15.5 m and 7.18 g/t over 8.0 m, including 30.58 g/t over 1.65 m, and hole DUP25-090 returning 4.08 g/t Au over 12.0 m, including 11.20 g/t Au over 1.0 m, which continue to support Miroir as a priority target within the broader Duparquet Project.

About the Duparquet Gold Project

The Duparquet Project is situated in the southern part of the Abitibi Greenstone Belt and is geographically located approximately 50 km northwest of the city of Rouyn-Noranda. The Project benefits from easy access and proximity to an existing workforce and infrastructure, including road, rail and hydroelectric grid power. The Duparquet Project currently hosts an NI 43-101 compliant gold resource of 3.44 million ounces in the Measured & Indicated category, grading 1.55 g/t Au, and an additional 2.64 million ounces in the Inferred category, grading 1.62 g/t Au. First Mining completed a Preliminary Economic Assessment¹ ("PEA") on the Project in 2023.

The Duparquet Project totals approximately 5,800 hectares focused on an area of 19 km of strike length along the prolific Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone, along with numerous mineralized splays and influential secondary lineaments. The Duparquet Project includes the past-producing Beattie, Donchester and Duquesne mines as well as the Central Duparquet, Dumico and Pitt Gold deposits.

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           Further details on the Duparquet PEA can be found in the technical report entitled "NI 43-101 Technical Report: Preliminary Economic Assessment, Duparquet Gold Project, Quebec, Canada" dated October 20, 2023, which was prepared for First Mining by G Mining Services Inc. in accordance with NI 43-101 and is available under First Mining's SEDAR+ profile at
      
   www.sedarplus.ca

Qualified Person

Caroline Pienaar, P.Geo., Director of Exploration for First Mining, is a "Qualified Person" for the purposes of NI 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects and has reviewed and approved the scientific and technical disclosure contained in this news release.

About First Mining Gold Corp.

First Mining is a gold developer advancing two of the largest gold projects in Canada, the Springpole Gold Project in northwestern Ontario, where permitting activities are on-going with a final Environmental Impact Statement / Environmental Assessment for the project submitted in November 2024, and the Duparquet Gold Project in Quebec, a PEA-stage development project located on the Destor-Porcupine Fault Zone in the prolific Abitibi region. First Mining also owns a 20% project interest in the Pickle Crow Gold Project in Ontario and large equity interest in Seva Mining Corp.

First Mining was established in 2015 by Mr. Keith Neumeyer, founder and CEO of First Majestic Silver Corp.

ON BEHALF OF FIRST MINING GOLD CORP.

Daniel W. Wilton
Chief Executive Officer and Director

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release includes certain "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of applicable Canadian and United States securities legislation including the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "plans", "projects", "intends", "estimates", "envisages", "potential", "possible", "strategy", "goals", "opportunities", "objectives", or variations thereof or stating that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved, or the negative of any of these terms and similar expressions.

Forward-looking statements in this news release relate to future events or future performance and reflect current estimates, predictions, expectations or beliefs regarding future events.All forward-looking statements are based on First Mining's or its consultants' current beliefs as well as various assumptions made by them and information currently available to them. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to: the potential for resource growth and future exploration success at the Duparquet Project;the compilation and interpretation of the drilling results at the Duparquet Project; feasibility and permitting activities related to the Springpole Gold Project; realizing the value of the Company's gold projects for the Company's shareholders; Company's business strategy; future planning processes. Statements concerning proven and probable mineral reserves and mineral resource estimates may also be deemed to constitute forward-looking statements to the extent that they involve estimates of the mineralization that will be encountered as and if the property is developed, and in the case of measured and indicated mineral resources or proven and probable mineral reserves, such statements reflect the conclusion based on certain assumptions that the mineral deposit can be economically exploited.

Forward-looking statements reflect the beliefs, opinions and projections of management on the date the statements are made and are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the respective parties, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Such factors include, without limitation the Company's business, operations and financial condition potentially being materially adversely affected by the outbreak of epidemics, pandemics or other health crises, and by reactions by government and private actors to such outbreaks; risks to employee health and safety as a result of the outbreak of epidemics, including pandemics or other health crises, that may result in a slowdown or temporary suspension of operations at some or all of the Company's mineral properties as well as its head office;fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold, silver, base metals or certain other commodities; fluctuations in the currency markets (such as the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. dollar); changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls, regulations and political or economic developments; requirements for additional capital; changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined; variations in ore reserves, grade or recovery rates; actual performance of plant, equipment or processes relative to specifications and expectations; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); effectiveness of environmental mitigations and strategies including production of NAG and PAG tailings and mine rock and water management strategies,the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities, indigenous populations and other stakeholders; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; title to properties; and the additional risks described in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2025 filed with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities under the Company's SEDAR+ profile at www.sedarplus.ca, and in the Company's Annual Report on Form 40-F filed with the SEC on EDGAR.

First Mining cautions that the foregoing list of factors that may affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on our forward-looking statements to make decisions with respect to First Mining, investors and others should carefully consider the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. First Mining does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the Company or on our behalf, except as required by law.

Cautionary Note to United States Investors

The Company is a "foreign private issuer" as defined in Rule 3b-4 under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is eligible to rely upon the Canada-U.S. Multi-Jurisdictional Disclosure System, and is therefore permitted to prepare the technical information contained herein in accordance with the requirements of the securities laws in effect in Canada, which differ from the requirements of the securities laws currently in effect in the United States. Accordingly, information concerning mineral deposits set forth herein may not be comparable with information made public by companies that report in accordance with U.S. standards.

Technical disclosure contained in this news release has not been prepared in accordance with the requirements of United States securities laws and uses terms that comply with reporting standards in Canada with certain estimates prepared in accordance with NI 43-101.

NI 43-101 is a rule developed by the Canadian Securities Administrators that establishes standards for all public disclosure an issuer makes of scientific and technical information concerning the issuer's material mineral projects.

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SOURCE First Mining Gold Corp.