 Rele was conferred the Gaurav Puraskar by the Government of Gujarat in 1989 and the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, in 1990.Kanak Rele was honoured with the title `Kala Vipanchee' by Vipanchee, a pioneering institution for Indian music and dance, in 2005.In 2006, the Government of Madhya Pradesh conferred the Kalidas Samman on her for her contributions to and excellence in the field of classical dance.