World Cup Rugs is a series of three rugs produced in Nepal. They are made as a reaction to the interwoven conflict between the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar and the rug industry of Nepal. The World Cup Rugs each materialize a statement from the public debate, appealing to FIFA and the participating nations of the World Cup to insist on persistent ethical changes.

The jury says
The World Cup Rugs are original and solid concepts that draw much-needed attention to human rights and social justice through beautiful aesthetic design. Now, one might ask why rugs are to deliver this important piece of communication? Rugs used to be Nepal’s biggest export, but craft-based export has been surpassed by the export of cheap migrant labor. Thus, thousands of migrant workers dreaming of a better life are leaving Nepal to work on the construction site of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar – a construction site unfortunately well known for compromising fundamental human rights. The jury believes this project is a clever and elegant example of a design that tells an important story through excellent craftsmanship.