This award is being presented to five people for their role in the Ring of Fire chromite, copper, and zinc discoveries in the James Bay Lowlands of northern Ontario: Richard Nemis and John Harvey, formerly with Noront Resources Ltd. as president and exploration manager respectively; Mackenzie Watson, president and CEO, and Don Hoy, exploration manager, of Freewest Resources Canada Inc.; and Neil Novak of Spider Resources Inc. The James Bay area had been identified as an area of possible mineralized greenstone but it was swampy and lacked the outcrops necessary for traditional prospecting. In spite of these obstacles, the five were able to lead their exploration teams to success, opening up a previously overlooked area of the country to new exploration activity.