diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js
index f3223a7d7..ef7ab697e 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/helpers/application_helpers.js
@@ -79,6 +79,7 @@ function categoryLinkHTML(category, options) {
     if (options.hash.allowUncategorized) { categoryOptions.allowUncategorized = true; }
     if (options.hash.showParent) { categoryOptions.showParent = true; }
     if (options.hash.link !== undefined) { categoryOptions.link = options.hash.link; }
+    if (options.hash.extraClasses) { categoryOptions.extraClasses = options.hash.extraClasses; }
     if (options.hash.categories) {
       categoryOptions.categories = Em.Handlebars.get(this, options.hash.categories, options);
     }
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/html.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/html.js
index c880a216a..d98addbc4 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/html.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/html.js
@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ Discourse.HTML = {
       @param {Boolean} opts.allowUncategorized Whether we allow rendering of the uncategorized category (default false)
       @param {Boolean} opts.showParent Whether to visually show whether category is a sub-category (default false)
       @param {Boolean} opts.link Whether this category badge should link to the category (default true)
+      @param {String}  opts.extraClasses add this string to the class attribute of the badge
     @returns {String} the html category badge
   **/
   categoryBadge: function(category, opts) {
@@ -87,9 +88,11 @@ Discourse.HTML = {
         restricted = Em.get(category, 'read_restricted'),
         url = Discourse.getURL("/category/") + Discourse.Category.slugFor(category),
         elem = (opts.link === false ? 'span' : 'a'),
+        extraClasses = (opts.extraClasses ? (' ' + opts.extraClasses) : ''),
         html = "<" + elem + " href=\"" + (opts.link === false ? '' : url) + "\" ";
 
-    html += "data-drop-close=\"true\" class=\"badge-category" + (restricted ? ' restricted' : '' ) + "\" ";
+    html += "data-drop-close=\"true\" class=\"badge-category" + (restricted ? ' restricted' : '' ) +
+            extraClasses + "\" ";
 
     // Add description if we have it
     if (description) html += "title=\"" + Handlebars.Utils.escapeExpression(description) + "\" ";
@@ -107,7 +110,7 @@ Discourse.HTML = {
 
     if (opts.showParent && category.get('parent_category_id')) {
       var parent = Discourse.Category.findById(category.get('parent_category_id'));
-      html = "<span class='badge-wrapper'><" + elem + " class='badge-category-parent' style=\"" + (Discourse.HTML.categoryStyle(parent)||'') +
+      html = "<span class='badge-wrapper'><" + elem + " class='badge-category-parent" + extraClasses + "' style=\"" + (Discourse.HTML.categoryStyle(parent)||'') +
              "\" href=\"" + (opts.link === false ? '' : url) + "\"><span class='category-name'>" +
              (Em.get(parent, 'read_restricted') ? "<i class='fa fa-group'></i> " : "") +
              Em.get(parent, 'name') + "</span></" + elem + ">" +
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/discovery/categories.js.handlebars b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/discovery/categories.js.handlebars
index 476d3ac66..5da6fcb52 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/discovery/categories.js.handlebars
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/discovery/categories.js.handlebars
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@
             <div>
               <div class="pull-left">
                 {{#if controller.ordering}}<i class="fa fa-bars"></i>{{/if}}
-                {{categoryLink this allowUncategorized=true}}
+                {{categoryLink this allowUncategorized=true extraClasses="bigger"}}
                 {{#if unreadTopics}}
                   <a href={{unbound unreadUrl}} class='badge new-posts badge-notification' title='{{i18n topic.unread_topics count="unreadTopics"}}'>{{unbound unreadTopics}}</a>
                 {{/if}}
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
               <div class='subcategories'>
                 {{i18n categories.subcategories}}
                 {{#each subcategories}}
-                  {{categoryLink this}}
+                  {{categoryLink this showParent=true}}
                   {{#if unreadTopics}}
                     <a href={{unbound unreadUrl}} class='badge new-posts badge-notification' title='{{i18n topic.unread_topics count="unreadTopics"}}'>{{unbound unreadTopics}}</a>
                   {{/if}}
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/featured_topics.js.handlebars b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/featured_topics.js.handlebars
index e4cb4ef5f..d9c341106 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/featured_topics.js.handlebars
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/templates/featured_topics.js.handlebars
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
         <div class='subcategories'>
           {{i18n categories.subcategories}}
           {{#each subcategory in subcategories}}
-            {{categoryLink subcategory}}
+            {{categoryLink subcategory showParent=true}}
           {{/each}}
         </div>
       </td>
diff --git a/app/assets/stylesheets/desktop/topic-list.scss b/app/assets/stylesheets/desktop/topic-list.scss
index 0f1ecb2e4..bf7b9c41b 100644
--- a/app/assets/stylesheets/desktop/topic-list.scss
+++ b/app/assets/stylesheets/desktop/topic-list.scss
@@ -295,10 +295,6 @@
 
     .subcategories {
       margin-top: 10px;
-      .badge-category {
-        font-size: 12px;
-        padding: 4px;
-      }
     }
     .featured-users {
       float: right;
@@ -307,7 +303,7 @@
     .category-description {
       margin-top: 10px;
     }
-    .badge-category {
+    .badge-category.bigger {
       padding: 6px 10px;
       font-size: 14px;
     }