This plugin allows to set a featured image for each category. 
Posts without a featured image set will show the category’s featured image instead. 
Featured images usually are placed by the theme in the single post page, in the latest posts page, etc. 
But can also be shown using the shortcode [cfi_featured_image] or the PHP function cfi_featured_image(). To get the featured image URL I added the function cfi_featured_image_url().
Shortcode/PHP function optional arguments:
<ul>
<li>‘size’: ‘thumbnail’, ‘medium’, ‘large’, ‘full’</li>
<li>‘class’: class of the image tag</li>
<li>‘alt’: alternative text of the image tag</li>
<li>‘title’: title of the image tag</li>
<li>‘cat_id’: select a specific category id</li>
</ul>
Shortcode example:
<pre><code>[cfi_featured_image size="large" title="This is a test..." class="my-image" alt="My image"]
</code></pre>
Function example 1:
<pre><code>cfi_featured_image( array( 'size' => 'large', 'title' => 'This is a test...', 'class' => 'my-image', 'alt' => 'My image' ) );
</code></pre>
Function example 2:
<pre><code>cfi_featured_image_url( array( 'size' => 'large' ) );
</code></pre>
Notes:
<ul>
<li>If a post has more than a category with a featured image the first available is loaded</li>
<li>If a category hasn’t a featured image but it has a parent category with a featured image the parent one is loaded</li>
</ul>

Category Featured Images

This plugin does one thing and it does it well.
It's easy to use, too: install, set up the default category images and forget about it.



Does one thing and does it well

Set a featured image for all the posts of a category.

Marzio Carro

Adds categories and tags functionality for your pages.
This plugin addsthe ‘post_tag’ and the ‘category’ taxonomies, which are the names of the existing taxonomies used for tags and categories the Post type ‘page’.
This enables the categories metabox and the tags metabox in the New or Edit Page interface.
The plugin has no settings, does not alter the database and only uses hooks to 
achieve it’s goal. It works perfectly fine with Multisite installations.
This plugin WILL NOT add any display of categories or tags to your template files.
Plugin’s website: <a href="http://technotes.marziocarro.com/category/wordpress-plugins/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://technotes.marziocarro.com/category/wordpress-plugins/</a>
Author’s website: <a href="http://technotes.marziocarro.com/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://technotes.marziocarro.com/</a>

Category Tag Pages

Wonderful functionality

Yes, it works. Uses very few lines of code and it's a simple and safe solution to have categories and tags in pages.

It works

Adds categories and tags functionality for your pages.

Category Featured Images vs Category Tag Pages