The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is pleased to announce award recipients in seven categories for 2018. These top international and domestic performers will be honoured with a prestigious award in recognition of their excellence.

The annual PDAC Awards – now in its 40th year – showcase exceptional leaders in the mineral exploration and mining industry. Recipients will be celebrated at an Awards Gala & After Party at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto on Tuesday, March 6 during the PDAC 2018 Convention.

Congratulations to the PDAC 2018 Award recipients for their outstanding accomplishments.

Bill Dennis Award: NexGen Energy Ltd.

NexGen Energy’s exploration team discovered Arrow, one of the largest undeveloped uranium deposits in the world, in the Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan in 2014. Based on a recent Preliminary Economic Assessment, the blind discovery has a net present value of $3.49 billion and an extraordinary internal rate of return of 56.7% assuming a uranium price of US$50 per pound U3O8.

Distinguished Service Award: Ted Reeve
Ted Reeve is a geologist and former mining analyst who has made invaluable contributions to PDAC’s annual convention. From 2002 to 2005 he chaired several sessions, including the keynote session in 2004. More recently he has organized, suggested topics for and served on the selection committee for many convention events.

Environmental & Social Responsibility Award: Golden Star Resources
The level of corporate responsibility evident at Golden Star’s gold mines on the Ashanti gold belt in Ghana is exceptional. From turning former pits into lakes teaming with fish to screening thousands of women in the region for breast cancer, the company is recognized as a global leader in environmental and social initiatives.

Skookum Jim Award: Lana Eagle
Lana Eagle is best known for her ability to spark constructive dialogue between Indigenous communities and the mining industry. As a consultant and member of the Whitecap Dakota Nation in Saskatchewan with a deep understanding of Aboriginal issues, she is in high demand as a speaker, lecturer and role model for Indigenous youth. She volunteers on the board of the Association for Mineral Exploration (AME) and on the council of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum (CIM).

Special Achievement Award: Jean Descarreaux
The late Jean Descarreaux was known for his role in developing the Quebec mineral exploration sector. In 1975 he co-founded the Quebec Prospectors’ Association (now the Quebec Mineral Exploration Association, or AEMQ) to promote exploration and entrepreneurship in the province. He set the stage for several major discoveries by convincing the provincial government to introduce flow through financing for mineral exploration in Quebec.

Thayer Lindsley Award: Arizona Mining
The Taylor lead-zinc-silver deposit in Arizona is considered among the top undeveloped deposits of its kind in the world. Don Taylor discovered the eponymous deposit in 2014 after deducing that considerable lead-zinc mineralization might occur below a known silver-manganese deposit on surface. The 61-million-tonne (and growing) deposit is expected to reach production in 2020.

Viola R. MacMillan Award: IAMGOLD & Sumitomo Metal Mining joint venture for Côté Gold
In June 2017 Sumitomo Metal Mining purchased a 30% interest in the Côté Gold project in northeastern Ontario from IAMGOLD for US$195 million. The investment and subsequent joint venture agreement allows IAMGOLD to proceed with the development of Côté Gold using Sumitomo’s mine building and operating expertise. The mine is expected to produce an average of 320,000 ounces of gold per year over a 17-year life span when it enters production as an open pit in 2021.

PDAC’s Board of Directors select recipients based on the recommendations of the association’s Awards Committee. More information about the 2018 award recipients is available on the PDAC website at: www.pdac.ca