Upside Gold Corp. Commences 2026 Drill Program at Kena Gold-Copper Project

CALGARY, Alberta — July 15, 2026 — Leads & Copy — Upside Gold Corp. has commenced its 2026 drill program at the Kena Gold-Copper Project in southeastern British Columbia, mobilizing crews and equipment to the site. The program is designed to expand the historical 3.3-million-ounce gold resource and test new high-priority exploration targets.

The Company has received an amendment to its Mines Act Permit MX-100000131, extending the permit term to October 31, 2026. This extension supports the ongoing exploration activities and the execution of the 2026 drill program into the fall.

The fully funded drill program will focus on priority targets identified through a technical review that integrated historical drilling and geological, geochemical, and geophysical data into a refined exploration model. The program aims to evaluate extensions of known mineralization, test new target areas, and support future growth of mineralized zones.

Initial drilling efforts are concentrated on testing extensions of known mineralization within and adjacent to the historical gold resource, where the Company believes there is significant potential for expansion along strike and at depth. Additional drilling will also assess several high-priority regional targets identified through recent compilation work.

Sophy Cesar, CEO and Director of Upside Gold, stated, "Our team has spent the past year building what we believe is one of the strongest technical foundations the Kena Project has ever had. With drills turning, we are moving from planning to execution. We have strengthened our treasury, expanded the property and refined our geological model. With the permit extension in place, we are focused on advancing the project through systematic exploration providing shareholders with updates as the program progresses."

Upside Gold expects to provide regular updates throughout the drill program, including significant assay results as they become available. Trevor Boyd, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Upside Gold and a Qualified Person for the technical information under NI 43-101 standards, has reviewed and approved the information in this press release.

Upside Gold Corp. is a Canadian gold-copper exploration company with an option agreement to acquire a 100% interest in the Kena Gold-Copper Project. The project is located in southeastern British Columbia and comprises 198 mineral claims and 11 crown grants, covering approximately 10,114.8 hectares and 92 hectares, respectively.

The Kena Project hosts a historical gold resource comprising an Indicated Mineral Resource of 32,146,000 tonnes at an average grade of 0.544 g/t Au for 0.561 million ounces of gold, and an Inferred Mineral Resource of 177,507,000 tonnes at an average grade of 0.486 g/t Au for 2.77 million ounces of gold. This historical estimate is disclosed in a technical report by Sue Bird, P.Eng. of Moose Mountain Technical Services, dated May 3, 2021. It is important to note that a Qualified Person has not classified this historical estimate as current mineral resources, and Upside Gold is not treating it as such. Additional drilling is required to upgrade the historical estimate to current mineral resources.

The historical estimate was reported using the 2014 CIM Definition Standards and estimated using the 2019 CIM Best Practices Guidelines. It is based on assumptions including a pit using US $2,000/oz. Au at a 0.77 US$ per $CDN exchange rate, 99.95% payable Au, $4.30/oz Au offsite costs, a 3% NSR royalty, and an 88% metallurgical recovery for gold. Pit slope angles are assumed at 45º, and the specific gravity of the deposit is assigned as 2.8.

Source: Upside Gold Corp.