Aspiring screenwriters are encouraged to send in three pages of their screenplay – almost always the first three – to be critiqued. The scripts vary widely in tone, style and genre. Links to the screenplays are provided in the show notes so listeners can read them and then listen to the critique. Typically three are tackled in one show. Those that have had their screenplays subjected to August and Mazin's critical eyes have typically thanked them from the feedback, which has ranged from congratulatory to despairing. The three-page challenge is a particularly useful segment for screenwriters as it provides sharp insights into unproduced screenplays; lessons easily applied to a writer's own project. The segment was first announced with a call for submissions in episode 45<ref>{{cite web|url=http://johnaugust.com/2012/setting-perspective-and-terrible-numbers|title=Scriptnotes, 45: Setting, perspective and terrible numbers|publisher=|accessdate=8 October 2016}}</ref> and the first critiques debuted the next week in episode 46.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://johnaugust.com/2012/mistakes-development-executives-make|title=Scriptnotes, 46: Mistakes development executives make|publisher=|accessdate=8 October 2016}}</ref>
