Thursday, July 17, 2008
Sterling Mining Announces Stock Option Grants

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Wallace, Idaho - July 17, 2008 - (Marketwire) - Sterling Mining Company (TSX:SMQ / OTCBB:SRLM / FSE:SMX) issued an aggregate of 1,289,995 options under the Company's Equity Incentive Plan.

Sterling Mining Company's board of directors, on June 30th, in accordance with the Company's stock option plan, approved the granting of 1,289,995 stock options to eleven officers, directors and employees of Sterling at an exercise price of $1.45 per share through dates ranging from July 2008 to April 2015.

All of the options and stock were issued pursuant to existing employment agreements and to the provisions of Sterling's 2006 Equity Incentive Plan and in reliance upon the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(2) of the Securities Act of 1933.

The board of directors also ratified a long standing policy adopted in 2005, whereby each director of Sterling shall be paid $150,000 upon a non board approved change of control of the Company.

About Sterling Mining Company

Sterling Mining controls the Sunshine Mine, which began initial production in December 2007, and related exploration lands in the prolific Silver Valley of northern Idaho. The Company also holds several silver properties in Mexico, including the Barones Tailings Project in the Zacatecas Silver District. Shares of Sterling Mining Company trade on the TSX under the symbol "SMQ", on the OTCBB under the symbol "SRLM", and also on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the trading symbol "SMX".

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, visit the Company's website at www.SterlingMining.com or contact:

Sterling Mining Company
Ken Berscht, President
Tel: (403)830-7566 or

Monique Hayes, Investor Relations
Tel: (208) 666-4070 xt. 303

To receive Sterling news via email, please email supertina@sterlingmining.com and specify "SMQ news" in the subject line.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
THIS NEWS RELEASE CONTAINS "FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION" WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE UNITED STATES "PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT" OF 1995 AND APPLICABLE CANADIAN SECURITIES LEGISLATION. STATEMENTS CONTAINING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION EXPRESS, AS AT THE DATE OF THIS NEWS RELEASE, THE COMPANY'S PLANS, ESTIMATES, FORECASTS, PROJECTIONS, EXPECTATIONS, OR BELIEFS AS TO FUTURE EVENTS OR RESULTS AND THE COMPANY DOES NOT INTEND, AND DOES NOT ASSUME ANY OBLIGATION TO, UPDATE SUCH STATEMENTS CONTAINING THE FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION. GENERALLY, FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION CAN BE IDENTIFIED BY THE USE OF FORWARD-LOOKING TERMINOLOGY SUCH AS "PLANS", "PROJECTS" OR "PROJECTED", "EXPECTS" OR "DOES NOT EXPECT", "IS EXPECTED", "ESTIMATES", "FORECASTS", "SCHEDULED", "INTENDS", "ANTICIPATES" OR "DOES NOT ANTICIPATE", OR "BELIEVES", OR VARIATIONS OF SUCH WORDS AND PHRASES, OR STATEMENTS THAT CERTAIN ACTIONS, EVENTS OR RESULTS "MAY", "CAN", "COULD", "WOULD", "MIGHT" OR "WILL BE TAKEN", "OCCUR" OR "BE ACHIEVED". STATEMENTS CONTAINING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION INCLUDE, BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO, STATEMENTS WITH RESPECT TO TIMING, BUDGET AND EXPENDITURES FOR CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES, THE EXPECTED RESULTS FROM EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES, THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEWLY DISCOVERED ORE BODIES, THE ESTIMATION OF MINERAL RESERVES AND RESOURCES, FUTURE PRODUCTION LEVELS, EXPECTATIONS REGARDING MINE PRODUCTION COSTS AND PROJECTED CASH COSTS PER OUNCE, THE ADEQUACY OF CAPITAL OR THE REQUIREMENTS FOR ADDITIONAL CAPITAL, EXPECTATIONS REGARDING FUTURE SILVER PRICES, AND THE COMPANY'S COMMITMENT TO, AND PLANS FOR DEVELOPING, NEWLY DISCOVERED AND EXISTING MINERALIZED STRUCTURES.

STATEMENTS CONTAINING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION INVOLVE KNOWN AND UNKNOWN RISKS, UNCERTAINTIES AND OTHER FACTORS THAT MAY CAUSE THE ACTUAL RESULTS, LEVEL OF ACTIVITY, PERFORMANCE OR ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE COMPANY'S SILVER AND ITS OPERATIONS TO BE MATERIALLY DIFFERENT FROM THOSE EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED BY SUCH STATEMENTS. SUCH FACTORS INCLUDE, AMONG OTHERS, RISKS RELATED TO TECHNOLOGICAL AND OPERATIONAL NATURE OF THE COMPANY'S BUSINESS, CHANGES IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT LEGISLATION, TAXATION OR THE POLITICAL OR ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT, THE ACTUAL RESULTS OF CURRENT EXPLORATION ACTIVITIES, CONCLUSIONS OF ECONOMIC EVALUATIONS, CHANGES IN PROJECT PARAMETERS TO DEAL WITH UNANTICIPATED ECONOMIC FACTORS, FUTURE PRICES OF SILVER, GOLD AND BASE METALS, INCREASED COMPETITION IN THE MINING INDUSTRY FOR PROPERTIES, EQUIPMENT, QUALIFIED PERSONNEL, AND THEIR RISING COSTS, UNPREDICTABLE RISKS AND HAZARDS RELATING TO THE OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF OUR MINES OR PROPERTIES, THE SPECULATIVE NATURE OF EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT, FLUCTUATIONS IN THE PRICE FOR NATURAL GAS, FUEL OIL AND OTHER KEY SUPPLIES, AS WELL AS THOSE FACTORS DESCRIBED IN THE SECTION ["RISK RELATED TO THE COMPANY'S BUSINESS"] CONTAINED IN THE COMPANY'S MOST RECENT [FORM 40F/ANNUAL INFORMATION FORM] FILED WITH THE SEC AND CANADIAN PROVINCIAL SECURITIES REGULATORY AUTHORITIES. ALTHOUGH THE COMPANY HAS ATTEMPTED TO IDENTIFY IMPORTANT FACTORS THAT COULD CAUSE ACTUAL RESULTS TO DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE CONTAINED IN FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS, THERE MAY BE OTHER FACTORS THAT CAUSE RESULTS TO BE MATERIALLY DIFFERENT FROM THOSE ANTICIPATED, DESCRIBED, ESTIMATED, ASSESSED OR INTENDED. THERE CAN BE NO ASSURANCE THAT ANY STATEMENTS CONTAINING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION WILL PROVE TO BE ACCURATE AS ACTUAL RESULTS AND FUTURE EVENTS COULD DIFFER MATERIALLY FROM THOSE ANTICIPATED IN SUCH STATEMENTS. ACCORDINGLY, READERS SHOULD NOT PLACE UNDUE RELIANCE ON STATEMENTS CONTAINING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION.