Mr. Andrew Nelson reports

WESTWARD GOLD ANNOUNCES COMMENCEMENT OF DRILLING & PROVIDES UPDATE ON FIELD ACTIVITIES AT THE TOIYABE HILLS PROPERTY, NEVADA

Westward Gold Inc. has provided an update on field activities at the company's Toiyabe Hills property in Lander county, Nevada, where drilling has just commenced and numerous additional exploration programs are currently continuing. Following the recent receipt of a work plan concurrence from the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM), trenching activities were completed at the SSD target (SSD), one of three zones slated for core and reverse-circulation (RC) drilling in 2026 (see press release dated April 27, 2026, for an in-depth review of SSD). The company has just begun drilling at SSD following delivery of a core rig to site, with two RC rigs to follow in the months ahead from National EWP and Legacy Drilling. Additional large-scale programs to be completed this year include 1:5,000 surface mapping, geochemical sampling and multiple geophysical surveys; details and status updates on each are provided below.

• The first of three drill rigs has now begun drilling at the property, following completion of a 468-metre trenching program at the SSD target.
• 1:5000-scale Anaconda-style mapping is continuing across the property and has already significantly expanded the alteration footprint at the SSD target.
• Multiple geochemical sampling programs and geophysical surveys are at various stages of completion, with results forthcoming.

2026 trenching program (SSD target)

A 468-metre trenching program has just been completed at the SSD target, designed to more accurately sample and map structures ahead of drilling; these data will contribute to the final determination of drill hole dips/azimuths from certain planned drill sites. High-grade structures -- including the dike containing a 16.4-gram-per-tonne gold (Au) sample -- will be projected down section based on mapped dips and strikes, and drills will be aimed to intersect these structures within favourable carbonate host rocks (notably of the Wenban formation). These settings typically represent the best potential for significant zones of gold mineralization in Carlin-type systems along the major trends of northern Nevada.

Surface mapping program

The company's 1:5,000 Anaconda-style surface mapping program has been continuing since the beginning of the field season, and continues to form a vital part of Westward's systematic exploration and targeting strategy. This year will see the greatest amount of new coverage ever, with three expert mappers advancing multiple folios concurrently (including recent land expansions to the north and south) -- Steve Koehler (technical adviser), Robert Edie (vice-president, exploration) and Tom Chapin (contractor).

The program has already generated important new findings, notably moving north at the SSD target and over newly acquired ground at the southern end of the property:

• The SSD alteration footprint has been expanded to the north and northeast of previous mapping, and surface alteration remains open in those directions.
• Three distinct patterns have been verified: i) quartz veins/stockworks and silica replacements increase to the north, especially along north-, east northeast-, northeast- and northwest-striking faults; ii) hydrothermally altered lamprophyre and altered quartz porphyry dikes/sills occur in close proximity to one another; and iii) hematite, hematitic clay and euhedral barite crystals are notable alteration features.
  • The hematite is significant for two reasons: hematite often implies a higher sulphidation state (not unlike oxide patterns in a porphyry system), and from south to north, limonite is dominant at the past-producing Toiyabe-Saddle open pits, and at the shallow Courtney zone on the property. Hematite occurs further to the north, in the vicinity of stronger silicification and altered quartz porphyry and lamprophyre dikes -- this area is also closer to the recently identified Threemile stock.
• Twenty hydrothermally altered outcrop and subcrop samples were collected over an approximately 0.8-square-kilometre area north and northeast of the northernmost SSD trench.
  • Samples represent an initial characterization of altered upper-plate siliciclastic rocks and/or intrusive material, including quartz-veined/stockworked-limonite-hematite altered fault zones, silicified fault breccias with limonite, hematite and/or barite, and clay-altered and limonitic lamprophyres.
• At the company's new southern ground (staked at the end of 2025), a series a northwest-striking altered dike-filled fault corridors have been mapped and samples have been collected.

Geochemical sampling programs

The company's robust 2026 geochemical sampling programs are adding to an already expansive database built over the last several years, and will include the following:

• Trenching: rock-chip samples collected at regular intervals with increased frequency around observed areas of interest (collection nearing completion);
• Soil grids: collection of soil samples at 200-metre spacing across the most recently-acquired claims to the north (75 per cent complete) and south (complete, data pending), in addition to a select infill grid to improve upon inherited legacy data (collection pending);
• Mapping: rock-chip samples collected over the most interesting areas identified during surface mapping (collection continuing, data pending);
• Road cuts and drill-pad earthwork: rock-chip sampling of exposures created by road and pad construction (collection continuing, data pending).

Geophysical surveys

Three significant geophysical surveys are being conducted by the company in 2026 -- forming another pillar of its systematically-gathered baseline exploration data. As in previous years, all results are being interpreted by Jim Wright of J.L. Wright Geophysics in Spring Creek, Nev. -- a renowned geophysicist with over 40 years of expertise within the Carlin and Cortez districts of northern Nevada -- in co-ordination with Westward's team of technical experts. This year's programs include the following:

• Airborne magnetic survey: a bolt-on drone magnetic survey designed to cover newly-acquired ground to the north and better define a suspected buried igneous stock identified via a 2025 survey (data acquired and processed, final interpretations pending);
• CSAMT (controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotellurics) survey: two lines designed to provide better resolution of structures and stratigraphy at the El Segundo target slated for phase I drilling in 2026 (data acquired, processing and interpretations pending);
• Gravity survey: this gravity survey will add coverage over the newly acquired ground to the north and south, and tie into the existing property-wide data set (data acquisition expected shortly).

Qualified person

The technical information contained in this news release was reviewed and approved by Robert Edie, vice-president, exploration, of the company, who is a qualified person under National Instrument 43-101 -- Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Edie is a certified professional geologist (CPG) through the American Institute of Professional Geologists (AIPG).

About Westward Gold Inc.

Westward Gold is a mineral exploration company focused on developing the Toiyabe Hills project located in the Cortez trend area of Lander county, Nevada, and the Coyote and Rossi projects located along the Carlin trend in Elko county, Nevada. From time to time, the company may also evaluate the acquisition of other mineral exploration assets and opportunities.

We seek Safe Harbor.