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NUNAVUT - A national competition for youth will be held in Vancouver, B.C., in August and Nunavut may be the only region of Canada that will not be represented.

Top Teen of Canada competition founder Darren Storsley said the contest has representatives from every province and territory in Canada except Nunavut.

"We've done a selection process nationwide and Nunavut is the farthest away from where we are," he said. "It also has the fewest people and we haven't had any applicants from there."

The contest comprises professionally-led personal development workshops, according to Storsley. Workshops include public speaking and interview skills. The teenagers compete in events such as giving speeches and on-stage interviews by the competition's judges. The competition is open to youth between 13 and 18 years old.

"It's an incredible educational experience," said Storsley. "I'm a high school teacher and it's all teachers that have put this together. We're also turning it into a documentary about teen life, kind of our response to the way society views teenagers."

The person who wins the title of Top Teen of Canada will be awarded a $3,000 scholarship. The competition takes place in Vancouver from Aug. 17-23 and contestants must pay their own airfare, which is a barrier for many Nunavummiut. However, Storsley said any contestants from Nunavut would have all other expenses paid, such as hotel and food costs.

"If they can get to and from Vancouver, we'll make sure that everything else is covered," he said, adding that he had looked online and was shocked at the cost of flying from Nunavut.

"You could go to Australia three times for the amount it costs to come from Resolute Bay or wherever in the North people would be trying to get here from."

The event used to be known as the Miss Teen Canada competition, Storsley said, but event co-ordinators decided to take out the pageant element of the contest and replace it with workshops. It was then opened to both boys and girls.

Ashley Dean of Rankin Inlet was a contestant in the Miss World Canada competition in 2004. She said participating in a national competition was a good experience for her.

Though many students in Nunavut receive Financial Assistance for Nunavut Students (FANS) to assist them in paying for school, a scholarship would also help, she added.

"FANS didn't even cover half my rent costs," she said, referring to her own post-secondary education. "A scholarship would definitely help people."

Scholarships between $500 and $1,000 will also be awarded in four events throughout the competition, such as the Entrepreneur Award and the Speech Presentation Award.

In addition to prizes, the winner of Top Teen of Canada will hold the title for a year and can use it for promotions and charity events.

"They have a title they can use for community service," Storsley said. "They can do outreach in the area that they live, if they want to put on a charity fundraiser for a cause in their hometown they can use their title to do that."

Youth interested in the competition should go to http://www.topteenofcanada.com/program.html for more information.