TORONTO, Dec. 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is excited to announce that six top international and domestic performers have been selected in recognition of their excellence.

Now in its 42^nd year, the annual PDAC Awards 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 3 during the PDAC 2020 Convention.

Congratulations to PDAC 2020 Award Recipients for their outstanding accomplishments.

• Bill Dennis Award: Dr. Rudolph (Rudy) Wahl
  For his enduring perseverance as a prospector and the discovery of several precious metal, diamond and rare earth occurrences in northwestern Ontario.

• Distinguished Service Award: Lynda Bloom
  For her leadership in the junior mining sector, her thousands of volunteer hours dedicated to PDAC, and her exploration geochemistry expertise.

• Skookum Jim Award: Hans Matthews
  For his contribution to Canada’s mineral exploration and mining sector by building bridges between Indigenous communities and the industry through the Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association (CAMA).

• Sustainability Award (formerly Environmental & Social Responsibility): Agnico Eagle Mines Limited’s Nunavut Community Relations, Education & People Development Team
  For developing a strong Inuit workforce and supporting the Kivalliq region of Nunavut with training, education and community-led projects that benefit everyone.

• Thayer Lindsley Award: Firuz Alizade and the Lidya-Hod Maden Exploration Team
  For the 2015 discovery of the Hod Maden gold-copper deposit in eastern Turkey.

• Viola R. MacMillan Award: Touquoy/Moose River Mine Development Team – Wally Bucknell, Steven Dean, Ronald Hawkes, Bruce Hudgins, John Wightman 
  For developing the Touquoy open pit mine and consolidating other gold deposits near Moose River in Nova Scotia after the gold potential of the area had been unrecognized for decades.

PDAC’s Board of Directors select recipients based on the recommendations of the association’s Awards Committee. More information about the 2020 Award Recipients is available on our website.

About PDAC
PDAC is the leading voice of the mineral exploration and development community. With over 7,500 members around the world, PDAC’s work centres on supporting a competitive, responsible mineral sector. PDAC is known worldwide for its annual PDAC Convention—the premier international event for the industry—that has attracted over 25,000 people from 135 countries in recent years and will next be held March 1-4, 2020 in Toronto. Please visit www.pdac.ca.

Media contact
Kristy Kenny
kkenny@pdac.ca
416 362 1969 x 233

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e314dbe9-2168-4998-9744-dc67792be03b