Women shout slogans as they march through central Ankara to commemorate International Women's Day. (Umit Bektas/Reuters)

The 100th International Women's Day is being celebrated March 8 with events around the world.

First officially observed in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on this date in 1911, International Women's Day used to be closely linked to political action, and arose when more than one million people in Europe attended rallies demanding women be given the right to work, vote and hold office.

In its current incarnation, International Women's Day has reportedly become more akin to Mother's Day, where the emphasis is on flowers, cards and gifts rather than politics.

This year, in honour of the 100th anniversary of the occasion, we'd like you to go big on International Women's Day. We're encouraging you to send us your tributes to all of the women who inspire you, be they politicians, entrepreneurs, mentors, grandmothers, mothers, sisters or best friends.

The CBCNews.ca Community team wants to hear from you about the tremendous women in your lives. Post your messages to your favourite females in the comments below, in our Facebook group or send them to yournews@cbc.ca. You can also tweet us @cbccommunity. We'll share some of your tributes in an community comments piece.  

Happy International Women's Day!