Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - August 7, 2026) - Hercules Metals Corp. (TSXV: BIG) (OTCQB: BADEF) (FSE: C0X) ("Hercules" or the "Company") announces that it has granted 2,350,000 incentive stock options (the "Options") to certain officers, directors, and consultants of the Company. The Options vest in three equal tranches, with one-third vesting immediately, and the remaining two-thirds vesting on the first and second anniversaries of the grant date, respectively. The Options are exercisable for a period of five years at an exercise price of $0.88 per common share and were granted pursuant to the Company's Omnibus Incentive Plan approved by shareholders of the Company on July 15, 2022.

The Options form part of previously agreed incentive compensation for certain officers, directors and consultants. The grants were deferred until after the public disclosure of the Company's recently announced management appointments and related private placement.

About Hercules Metals Corp.

Hercules Metals Corp. is a U.S.-focused mineral exploration company advancing the 100%-owned Hercules Project in the heart of America's newest porphyry copper district, in western Idaho.

The Hercules Project hosts the newly discovered Leviathan porphyry copper system, one of the most important new discoveries in the country to date. Leviathan is a large and growing porphyry copper system discovered by Hercules in 2023. The initial discovery hole intersected 185 metres grading 0.84% copper, 111 ppm molybdenum and 2.6 g/t silver, including 45 metres grading 1.94% copper.

Subsequent drilling has demonstrated mineralization as shallow as 72 meters depth in the eastern portion of the deposit, with a mineralized envelope that remains open in multiple directions.

The Hercules Project forms part of a 73-kilometre copper belt across which the Company controls more than 100,000 acres of prospective mineral rights. Hercules is conducting systematic definition drilling at Leviathan and exploration drilling to identify additional porphyry centres.

Hercules' shares trade on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol "BIG," on the OTCQB under the symbol "BADEF" and in Frankfurt under the symbol "C0X."

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this press release.

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