In 1983, Professor Smith was honored by the City of Honolulu  as a “pioneer” for her numerous Contributions to the artistic and cultural life of Hawaii.

Society for Ethnomusicology: Charles Seeger Lecturer, 1987; honorary member, 2001

Eastman School of Music: George Eastman Medal, 2000

Pomona College: Doctor of Music Honoris Causa, 2001

International Council for Traditional Music: Traditionalism and Modernity in the Music and Dance of Oceania: Essays in Honor of Barbara B. Smith [festschrift], 2001

University of Hawai‘i: Dedicatory-naming of Amphitheater & Ethnomusicology Wing of Music-Building Complex, 2006; “100 Contributions” – ethnomusicology listed as one of the most significant of its first century,  2008

In 2007 she received the Honpu Hongwanji Living Treasures Award,

In 2008 Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and the Arts: Governor’s Award for Distinguished Achievement in Culture Arts and Humanities. 

In 2009 she received the prestigious Koizumi Fumio Prize in Ethnomusicology.

In 2018 Barbara Barnard Smith received the Alfred Preis Honor  for her lifetime support of the arts, and community building in Hawaii.