PDAC Recognizes 2025 PDAC Award Recipients – Canadian Mining Magazine

Bill Dennis Award

Named for a former President of the association, this award honours individuals who have accomplished one or both of the following: made a significant Canadian mineral discovery and / or made an important contribution to the prospecting and / or exploration industry. 

The Canadian Malartic Exploration Team was selected for the 2025 Bill Dennis Award for their extraordinary discovery of the East Gouldie gold deposit at Agnico Eagle Mines Limited’s Odyssey mine at the Canadian Malartic complex in Quebec’s Abitibi region. This discovery, made in 2018, represents a major milestone in Canadian mineral exploration due to its size, geological significance and economic value.

The discovery of the East Gouldie deposit has been the key driver of the Odyssey mine project, which is transitioning the Canadian Malartic complex from one of Canada’s largest open pit mines to Canada’s largest underground operation. 

Skookum Jim Award 

This award is named after the Indigenous leader of the group that discovered the Yukon Klondike goldfields, one of Canada’s most important mineral discoveries. Recipients of this award must be from a recognized Indigenous group in Canada (Metis, Inuit, First Nation) and have demonstrated exceptional achievement and / or service in an Indigenous business organization operating in the Canadian mining industry and / or a Canadian Indigenous exploration or mining company or have made a significant individual contribution to the mining industry.

David Kritterdlik was selected for the 2025 Skookum Jim Award due to his transformative leadership in integrating Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit values into the mining industry. As Agnico Eagle’s Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and Wildlife Advisor, David has played a pivotal role in bridging traditional Inuit knowledge and western science, particularly in his home region of Nunavut.

David’s influence is a model for other resource companies and government bodies. His contributions have inspired similar advisory structures in British Columbia’s regulatory processes and discussions within CIRNAC related to UNDRIP legislation. For his groundbreaking work in promoting Inuit values, cultural preservation, and sustainable development, David Kritterdlik truly embodies the spirit of the Skookum Jim Award.

Sustainability Award

This award honours an individual or organization demonstrating outstanding initiative, leadership, and accomplishment in protecting and preserving the natural environment during an exploration program, development, or operation of a mine. The Sustainability Award also recognizes efforts to establish and maintain good relations with local communities.

Teck Resources and UN Women: Originarias Program was selected for its transformative impact on Indigenous women in Chile, particularly in the Tarapacá region. This program addresses the intersection of gender, ethnic, and territorial inequalities that Indigenous women face, such as poverty, limited workforce participation, and low political representation.

Since its inception in 2016, the program has empowered over 8,000 people by focusing on leadership, economic autonomy, and community engagement. Highlights include the creation of the Empowerment Centre for Indigenous women in Iquique and the training of over 2,000 Indigenous women to enhance their leadership and advocacy skills.

Thayer Lindsley Award 

Open to individuals and teams of any nationality, this award honours the memory of Thayer Lindsley, one of the greatest mine finders of all time. The award is presented to an individual or team of explorationists credited with a recent mineral discovery with potential economic viability anywhere in the world.

The Onto Discovery Team was selected for the 2025 Thayer Lindsley Award for their outstanding discovery of the Onto copper-gold deposit in the Hu’u project, Sumbawa, Indonesia. This discovery is considered one of the most significant copper-gold discoveries globally in the past decade, notable for its sheer size, grade, and the challenging exploration conditions. The Onto deposit is a Tier-1, world-class copper-gold deposit containing approximately 2.1 billion tonnes of mineralization with an average grade of 0.86 per cent copper and 0.48 grams per tonne of gold. This indicated and inferred resource contains 17.6 million tonnes of copper and 32 million ounces of gold. 

Viola R. MacMillan Award 

This award, named in honour of PDAC’s longest serving President, is given to an individual or organization demonstrating leadership in management and financing for the exploration and development of mineral resources. 

John Robins was selected for the 2025 Viola R. MacMillan Award for his lifetime leadership and significant contributions to the mining and exploration industry. Over his 35-year career, John has been instrumental in multiple mineral discoveries and the creation of highly successful companies, including Kaminak Gold, Northern Empire, and Stornoway Diamond. His work has driven over $3 billion in mergers and acquisitions, alongside more than $1 billion in mineral exploration expenditures across various regions, such as Canada, Latin America, and Australia.

About PDAC

The Prospectors & Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) is the leading voice of the mineral exploration and development community, an industry that employs more than 664,000 individuals, and contributed $132 billion to Canada’s GDP in 2021. Currently representing over 7,800 members around the world, PDAC’s work centers on supporting a competitive, responsible, and sustainable mineral sector. PDAC 2025, our 93rd annual convention, will take place in person in Toronto, Canada from March 2-5, 2025. Please visit www.pdac.ca for more information.