Smyth has been recipient of many awards for his work, including the Research Award, Battery Division of the Electrochemical Society (1959), Edward C. Henry Award, Electronics Division of the American Ceramic Society, for the Best Paper on Electronic Ceramics in the Journal for the Preceding 10 Years (1987), the Libsch Research Award at Lehigh University (1990), the Kraner Award, Lehigh Valley Section Division of the American Ceramic Society, for the Best Paper on Electronic Ceramics in the Journal for the Preceding 3 Years (1995). He is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society, and a Life Fellow of the American Institute of Chemists.